Kim Jung-kwan to spend over a third of June abroad; concerns raised over domestic policy vacuum as senior officials join trip

Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy [Yonhap]
Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy [Yonhap]

Kim Jung-kwan, South Korea's minister of trade, industry and energy, has set off on a 12-day overseas trip that will take him to Kazakhstan, three Middle Eastern countries — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — and the EU, with the aim of strengthening resource diplomacy and expanding cooperation in advanced industries.

The extended absence has drawn concern, however, as Kim oversees South Korea's real economy and will be out of the country for more than a third of June. Critics have also raised the prospect of a domestic policy vacuum, given that senior ministry officials are accompanying him.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim will open the 11th Korea-Kazakhstan Joint Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Astana, Kazakhstan, from Sunday through Tuesday.

The committee session will focus on expanding bilateral cooperation in energy, natural resources, digital industries and eco-friendly sectors.

Kim also plans to meet with Kazakh government officials, including the presidential chief of staff and the energy minister, to discuss stabilizing crude oil supply and deepening cooperation in critical minerals and plant construction.

After accompanying the president on official European engagements, Kim will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE from June 13 to 16 as a follow-up to the presidential special envoy's recent Middle East trip.

During the Middle East leg, Kim will meet with senior officials — including energy and industry ministers from all three countries — to secure stable supply chains for key resources such as crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

He will also hold in-depth discussions on tailored industrial cooperation plans covering manufacturing infrastructure and advanced industries in each country.

The final stop is the Czech Republic, where Kim will visit from June 17 to 18 to strengthen cooperation on nuclear power and advanced industries.

He will chair the second meeting of the Dukovany Project Implementation Review Council, launched in February, to assess the progress and future plans for the Dukovany nuclear power plant construction project that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is leading.

Kim will also convene the third ministerial Korea-Czech Supply Chain and Energy Dialogue to review the status of cooperation projects and joint research and development initiatives in advanced industries including robotics, batteries and semiconductors.

Additional scheduled activities include a Korea-Czech nuclear industry partnership event and a visit to a robotics test bed at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

"With uncertainty from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East persisting, securing stable energy and resource supplies has become more critical than ever," Kim said. "Through this trip, I will discuss measures to ensure crude oil and LNG supply, strengthen cooperation in critical minerals, plant construction and nuclear power, and lay the groundwork for Korean companies to expand overseas."

He added that he would "actively support the stable and successful implementation of the Dukovany nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic, and use the cooperative foundation built through that project to extend our partnership into advanced industries such as robotics, batteries and future vehicles, deepening the strategic economic cooperation between the two countries."


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com