Welcoming Remarks by H.E. Cho Tae-yul
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
Welcome Dinner,
Boao Forum for Asia Seoul Conference
Seoul, November 22, 2024

Honorable Chairman Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary-General Zhang Jun (장 쥔),
Distinguished Guests,

My warm welcome to all of you. Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and the Boao Forum for Asia for their remarkable efforts in bringing us together for the Seoul Conference.

To their enormous contributions, I would like to add my humble effort by providing some food for thought to accompany our actual meal.
After all, the founding vision of the Boao Forum, dubbed affectionately as the “Davos Forum of Asia,” had been to spark discussions on the contemporary issues that affect the future of this region and beyond.

When it comes to the future, the Seoul Conference has well-identified the powerful drivers of change in its three themes: artificial intelligence as a transformational technology; women and youth as agents of social progress; and global governance as a framework for addressing the most pressing global challenges.

The Republic of Korea is actively harnessing these three forces to shape a better future.

On AI, the Republic of Korea has spearheaded two important initiatives this year to shape the global discourse on AI governance.

In the domain of civilian use of AI, the AI Seoul Summit held in May this year led to the Seoul Declaration which put forward three values of safety, innovation and inclusivity.

In the domain of military use of AI, the Summit on the Responsible AI in Military Domain (REAIM Summit) held a few months later in September led to the Blueprint for Action, which unpacked many core principles relating to how humanity can wield this new technology responsibly.

Our human-centric values are well-reflected in the Republic of Korea’s 5-year, $30 million ASEAN Digital Flagship Project which seeks to build digital infrastructure and knowledge-sharing networks to close the AI divide in this region.

On women and youth, we are dedicated to unlocking global progress by tapping into the roles of women and youth as an agent of social cohesion and an agent of change, respectively.

For instance, as an elected member of the UN Security Council for the 2024 25 term, the Republic of Korea has placed the Women-Peace-Security (WPS) nexus at the heart of its agenda.

Since 2019, we have also been leading the adoption of a biennial UN General Assembly resolution named “Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation,” aimed at enhancing the engagement of young generation in addressing the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.

In line with the resolution, my Ministry has sponsored the ‘Korean Youth Envoy for Disarmament and Non-proliferation’ to attend an NPT review conference this year.

On global governance, the Republic of Korea is committed to strengthening multilateral institutions and restoring the rules-based international order.

As I noted during the UN General Assembly in September, the Republic of Korea seeks to act as a facilitator, supporter, and initiator of global agenda ranging from peacekeeping, sustainable development, climate actions to installing new norms for human dignity.

We will also actively seek to fulfill the commitments under the Pact for the Future, adopted during the Summit of the Future this year, as a renewed mission statement for the United Nations.

The Republic of Korea’s Chairmanship of APEC 2025 provides the opportunity to converge the three actions on AI, empowerment of women and youth, and global governance.

As President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled during the hand-over ceremony which took place in Lima just last week, the Republic of Korea will pursue the three priorities of “Connect, Innovate, and Prosper” as the Chair of APEC 2025.

Through Connect, we aim to strengthen trade and business ties.

Under Innovate, we will focus on the digital economy, hosting the first-ever APEC Digital Ministers’ Meeting among other efforts.

Our actions under Prosper will ensure that growth benefits are inclusive and sustainable, with various youth-focused initiatives.

All these efforts bind together to strengthen multilateral institutions such as APEC in service of the broader prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Our efforts will be buttressed by ever-strengthening regional partnerships.

The Republic of Korea has played a pivotal role in strengthening Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation and in resuming the Korea-China-Japan Trilateral Summit after a four-year hiatus, and also upgraded its relationship with ASEAN to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership this year.

Next year, we will host the first-ever ROK-Central Asia Summit, as part of a comprehensive strategy for deeper engagement with Central Asia.

And, with China set to succeed us as the 2026 Chair of APEC, we are excited to work together with China as part of the APEC Troika.

Distinguished Guests,

I would like to conclude with an old saying: “풍신연등” (風迅鳶謄), which means, “The stronger the wind, the higher the kite flies.”

The winds we face today―geopolitical shifts, growing inequalities, and technological transformation―are indeed strong.

But these winds also present an opportunity for us to rise higher together.

As we prepare to enjoy this evening’s meal, let us reflect on what we can achieve, not just as individual nations but as partners soaring towards the future on the winds of change. Thank you very much.