Committee on Public Diplomacy Holds its 1st Meeting

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

08/10/2017 | Press release |

publicnow.com

1. The committee on public diplomacy, a governmental coordinating body on public diplomacy, held its first meeting on August 10 with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha as its chair.

° The meeting brought together the Committee's four members from the private sector -- a Munhwa Ilbo (daily) editor, a vice president of Kakao Corp., a professor of the Department of Culture and Art Management at SangMyung University and a professor of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Korea University; ten members from the government, including Vice Ministers of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and three observers -- the chair of the Korea Foundation (KF)'s Board of Directors and the ambassadors for international relations of the Seoul Metropolitan City and Jeollabuk-do (province).

2. At the meeting, the Committee finalized 'the Republic of Korea's first basic plan on public diplomacy (2017-2021),' which will serve as a public diplomacy guideline during the tenure of the Moon Jae-in government, and designated the KF as the public diplomacy overseer.

3. The participants extensively discussed ways for cooperation among central government agencies and between them and their provincial counterparts; to use public diplomacy capability of the private sector; to raise public awareness on public diplomacy; and to win wider public support in this regard.

° The civilian members highlighted the importance of making contribution to the global community through public diplomacy, suggesting that appropriate assistance be rendered to the efforts to beef up networks of art professionals and that public diplomacy be carried out especially in a way that helps disseminate Korean values.

° The members from the government drew a common understanding that the government agencies should share with one another information on their public diplomacy projects and work together in implementing those projects.

- They also proposed that as part of the efforts to conduct public diplomacy on policies, more robust promotion be undertaken overseas on the policies regarding peace on and unification of the Korean Peninsula.

- The participants also discussed ways to work together in offering Korean language courses in foreign countries; the ongoing spread of Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the field of administrative affairs; and ways to promote the charm of the ROK through Hansik.

° The Foreign Ministry, citing the possibility of the insensitivity toward other cultures and religions undermining the potential value of public diplomacy and causing concern for safety of Korean nationals, asked the implementers of public diplomacy to consult with the Foreign Ministry on relevant activities.

4. Minister Kang Kyung-wha, taking note of the meeting as a significant starting point in the government-wide efforts to conduct public diplomacy in an integrated and systematic manner, stressed that the Foreign Ministry will share with the other relevant government agencies and organizations the suggestions and ways of cooperation discussed at the meeting; and will seek to have those results of the meeting reflected in the course of drawing up and implementing public diplomacy plans.

* unofficial translation