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Korea confirms invitation to Trump's 'Peace Board' for Gaza

Published: 20 Jan. 2026, 16:24 Updated: 20 Jan. 2026, 16:30

SEO JI-EUN
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A Palestinian national searches for several relatives who remain under the rubble of his house, which was destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 17. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea has been invited to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed international body aimed at overseeing reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Seoul's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

The ministry said in a statement that it was “reviewing the matter following an invitation from the U.S. side” but did not elaborate further.

The comments came after Washington announced plans to establish an inaugural executive committee for what it calls the “Board of Peace,” which would serve as the top decision-making body overseeing Gaza’s postwar administration and reconstruction.

A senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters later on Tuesday that Seoul has yet to decide whether to join the proposed body and is assessing the nature of the body and the level of participation by other countries.

“This is not something that can be decided within a day or two,” the official said. “The invitation itself was received only recently.”

“Around 60 countries reportedly have been invited, but it is unlikely that all invited countries will take part,” the official added. “We will need to see which countries participate and will then make a comprehensive judgment.”

The official added that Seoul has not been given a specific deadline to respond.

Trump is set to chair the body, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair listed as board members, according to U.S. officials.

In a separate Reuters report, invitations to about 60 countries were said to have begun arriving in capitals.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Trump, described the invitation as an “honorable” one on social media platform X and was among the first leaders to signal willingness to participate. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who met with President Lee Jae Myung on Monday, said her country was “ready to do our part,” and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he supported the idea in principle but was still reviewing the details.

Russia and Belarus also confirmed that their leaders received an invitation to join the board.

While the initiative is being framed as a mechanism to manage the end of the Gaza war and coordinate reconstruction, its scale has prompted questions about whether it is intended to bypass existing multilateral institutions, including the United Nations.

The document states that “durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” according to a draft charter seen by Reuters, reflecting Trump’s longstanding skepticism toward the UN.

The United States has withdrawn from dozens of UN bodies under his leadership and has not paid its assessed share of the UN regular budget, which accounts for about 22 percent of total funding.

Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration is seeking contributions of at least $1 billion from countries in exchange for permanent membership on his peace board.

The Financial Times reported that the board could eventually expand its mandate beyond Gaza to other conflict zones, describing the initiative as an effort that could effectively sideline the UN.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]