By Kayla Lee

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who is visiting France from September 28 to October 1, held a roundtable with international political experts at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) on "Korea's Diplomacy as a Global Pivotal State (GPS)"on Sept. 29.

In his keynote speech, Minister Park introduced the government's vision of a Global Pivotal State that aims to contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity in the world, saying that Korea has the ability and willingness to defend democratic values to overcome the polycrisis in the face of unprecedented international challenges. 

To materialize this vision, he explained that the ROK government released its first regional strategy, the Indo-Pacific Strategy, in December last year, and assessed France's efforts to become the first European country to develop its own pivotal strategy and to expand its engagement and influence in the region based on the principles of inclusiveness, trust, and mutual reciprocity, emphasizing that the ROK will strive to establish a regional order based on the norms of similarly positioned countries such as France.

Noting that the ROK is committed to an order based on universal values and norms, such as freedom, democracy, and human rights, Park outlined his country's efforts to strengthen the ROK-US alliance, normalize bilateral relations, pursue a mature ROK-China relationship based on mutual respect and reciprocity, and strengthen cooperation with ASEAN, Pacific-basin countries and India.

Park expressed his appreciation for France's continued support for the peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula through the denuclearization of North Korea and condemnation of its nuclear and missile threats as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Noting that President Yoon Suk-yeol and President Emmanuel Macron met in June and agreed to strengthen cooperation in politics, economy, diplomacy, security, science and technology, cultural fields, space, and other future areas, he stressed that the two countries should further cooperate based on universal values to realize our vision of a global pivotal nation. He said the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026 will be an important opportunity to lay a new foundation for bilateral cooperation.

Noting that Busan, which served as the last bastion of Korean freedom during the Korean War, is one of the reasons why South Korea's per capita income, which was just $67 just after the Korean War, has grown nearly 500 times to become one of the world's top 10 economic powers, Minister Park pledged to make a responsible contribution to the international community by sharing its experience of growth and development with the international community through the hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo, and asked for the participants' interest and support in the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

The event was an opportunity to network with French experts and conduct outreach programs to enhance understanding of Korea's foreign policy as a global pivotal country and Korea's willingness to contribute to the international community through hosting the Busan World Expo, as well as to exchange views on key regional issues such as the North Korea nuclear issue and the Indo-Pacific region, and to strengthen the 21st century comprehensive partnership between Korea and France and promote value partnerships with European countries.