Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
President expected to attend multilateral online summit on Hormuz Friday
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior presidential secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps
By Yi Whan-woo
Lee to visit India, Vietnam next week
President Lee Jae Myung is expected to attend an online multilateral summit jointly led by the United Kingdom and France, Friday, to discuss ensuring free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, Thursday.
The official said the summit will take the form of a video conference, with participating leaders likely to discuss the global energy supply chain, international solidarity and other security issues related to the Middle East amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, which began in late February.
The meeting will take place amid disruptions to the global energy supply caused by Iran’s blockade of the strait, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints through which 70 percent of Korea's imported crude oil is transported.
“A multilateral summit jointly hosted by the U.K. and France is being planned, and our president is currently considering attendance positively,” the official said.
“Freedom of navigation and security are in everyone’s interest, and the president is expected to share his views with leaders of the countries that hold similar positions.”
The meeting is planned to take place on Friday evening (Korean time), with around 70 to 80 countries invited, including those from Europe and Asia as well as international organizations.
Korea has participated in similar multilateral forums on the Middle East issue, jointly issuing a statement with leaders from more than 20 countries to denounce Iran's blockade of the strait, and participating in a France-led meeting of defense chiefs from 35 nations and a U.K.-led meeting of foreign ministry officials.
The U.S. will not attend Friday's meeting, as it is directly involved in the conflict, the official said.
Nevertheless, the official said that the nonparticipation of the U.S. in the summit does not mean it is being excluded.
“The U.S. has been coordinating issues with the U.K. and France, while also maintaining cooperation with the Korean side,” he said.
Whether China is included in the scheduled summit remains unclear, according to the official.
In the meantime, Lee reiterated the importance of protecting universal human rights — the latest in a series of related remarks after Israel heavily criticized him over a social media post it claimed was “trivializing the Holocaust.”
“This war gave us not only a challenge to reform Korea’s industrial structures but also an opportunity to reconsider Korea’s diplomatic position and role,” the president said during a meeting with senior aides, Thursday.
“Now Korea is one of the leading countries to which the world is paying attention. It cannot and should not turn away from universal values such as world peace, international norms and human rights protection.”
He added, “We need to gradually gain trust and respect from other countries so that we can expand our national interest in the long term.”
On April 10, Lee posted a video of Israeli soldiers apparently abusing the body of a young Palestinian and compared this to wartime atrocities including the Holocaust. This drew immediate strong condemnation from Israel’s foreign ministry. Since then, the president has made several comments about the protection of human rights on multiple occasions.
Visits to India, Vietnam
Cheong Wa Dae said that energy security may also be addressed during Lee’s six-day trip to India and Vietnam next week.
Lee is scheduled to visit India from Sunday to Tuesday and Vietnam from Tuesday to Friday for summits with the leaders of each country.
“These countries share similar positions regarding energy supply chain issues and are in a position to cooperate, so we expect these matters to be discussed as well,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said.
Lee will discuss economic cooperation in shipbuilding, finance, artificial intelligence and defense in a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Monday.
“The two sides will also maintain close coordination on energy supply chain issues amid rapidly changing international conditions,” Wi said.
On Wednesday, Lee will meet with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. They will seek to strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy, energy supply chains and critical minerals.