Foreign Minister Cho Hyun [Yonhap]
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun [Yonhap]

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun plans to attend a series of ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings in Manila, the Philippines, from July 21 to 23, where he will express the government's commitment to peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and call on ASEAN and the broader international community for support. He also intends to urge North Korea to return to dialogue.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Cho will lay out that position at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on July 23. However, North Korea is widely expected to skip the forum again this year, as it did last year.

During the meetings, Cho will also attend the ASEAN-Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three (Korea, China and Japan) foreign ministers' meeting, the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting, and the Mekong-Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

At the ASEAN-Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting on July 22, Cho is set to discuss ways to implement the Korea-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) vision. The talks will cover new cooperation in AI and the cultural and creative industries, as well as police and coast guard collaboration to combat online scam crimes.

At the ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministers' meeting on July 23, Korea, China, Japan and ASEAN member states will discuss food and energy security cooperation in light of the recent crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

At the EAS foreign ministers' meeting the same day — which brings together major regional powers — the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, the South China Sea, the Middle East and Ukraine are expected to be among the key agenda items.

On the sidelines, Cho plans to hold bilateral talks with ASEAN chair the Philippines and dialogue coordinator Thailand, as well as with Cambodia, Brunei and other ASEAN member states. He is also coordinating bilateral meetings with the United States and other major countries.


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