Ministry: Seoul plans to increase status abroad
Published: 02 Jan. 2010, 01:27
South Korea will accelerate its “Global Korea” drive in the coming year, while stepping up efforts for substantial progress in a push to denuclearize North Korea, the foreign ministry said in a report to President Lee Myung-bak Thursday.
As part of the campaign to raise its international status, South Korea will seek to increase the number of peacekeeping troops it dispatches around the globe to around 1,000 from the current 400, the ministry added.
In the third year of the president’s five-year term, the ministry will also support Lee’s efforts to expand his diplomacy to the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the EU.
Lee concentrated efforts on improving Seoul’s relations with four regional powers - the U.S., China, Japan and Russia - in his first year in office and endeavored to reach out to Southeast Asia along with Australia and New Zealand last year.
“Diplomacy in 2010 will be focused on transforming South Korea into a mature and globalized country,” Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, briefing the president on his ministry’s policy for the next year.
He added the government will continue efforts to play a bigger role in the international community by raising the amount of official development assistance, the number of peacekeeping troops, and successfully hosting inter-government events.
The annual summit of the leaders from South Korea, China and Japan will be held on the southern resort island of Jeju in May and Seoul will play host to the G-20 economic summit in November.
Emboldened by the recent passage of legislation on facilitating the dispatch of peacekeeping troops, the government plans to send more soldiers to conflict-ridden areas, especially in Africa.
South Korea now has a total of 401 soldiers abroad, mostly in Lebanon, to assist the UN’s peacekeeping operations, ranking 39th in the world by size. In a separate move, South Korea is poised to send a 350-strong unit to Afghanistan in July to protect South Korean civilian aid workers.
In a bid to further enhance the national brand value, Yu said, the government will support a campaign to globalize the country’s traditional cuisine, promote Pyongchang’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and make efforts to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
With regard to the North Korean nuclear issue, the minister said the government will continue to push for President Lee’s “grand bargain.”
Yonhap
As part of the campaign to raise its international status, South Korea will seek to increase the number of peacekeeping troops it dispatches around the globe to around 1,000 from the current 400, the ministry added.
In the third year of the president’s five-year term, the ministry will also support Lee’s efforts to expand his diplomacy to the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the EU.
Lee concentrated efforts on improving Seoul’s relations with four regional powers - the U.S., China, Japan and Russia - in his first year in office and endeavored to reach out to Southeast Asia along with Australia and New Zealand last year.
“Diplomacy in 2010 will be focused on transforming South Korea into a mature and globalized country,” Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, briefing the president on his ministry’s policy for the next year.
He added the government will continue efforts to play a bigger role in the international community by raising the amount of official development assistance, the number of peacekeeping troops, and successfully hosting inter-government events.
The annual summit of the leaders from South Korea, China and Japan will be held on the southern resort island of Jeju in May and Seoul will play host to the G-20 economic summit in November.
Emboldened by the recent passage of legislation on facilitating the dispatch of peacekeeping troops, the government plans to send more soldiers to conflict-ridden areas, especially in Africa.
South Korea now has a total of 401 soldiers abroad, mostly in Lebanon, to assist the UN’s peacekeeping operations, ranking 39th in the world by size. In a separate move, South Korea is poised to send a 350-strong unit to Afghanistan in July to protect South Korean civilian aid workers.
In a bid to further enhance the national brand value, Yu said, the government will support a campaign to globalize the country’s traditional cuisine, promote Pyongchang’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and make efforts to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
With regard to the North Korean nuclear issue, the minister said the government will continue to push for President Lee’s “grand bargain.”
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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