Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Korea's G7 participation in limbo
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a weekly meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
Germany opposes Trump's move to expand G7
By Do Je-hae
Doubts are rising over whether President Moon Jae-in will be able to take up an invitation to participate in the Group of Seven (G7) meeting slated for September.
Cheong Wa Dae has claimed that the invitation was a stepping stone for Korea to later become a member of an expanded version of the group, an idea floated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, Moon's participation is becoming increasingly unclear due to the negative reaction from the other G7 members.
During a phone call with Moon, June 1, Trump invited Moon to take part in the meeting of the leaders of the most developed economies, along with leaders from Australia, India and Russia, when the meeting is held in the U.S. in September. Moon accepted the invitation at the time.
But Germany has become the latest country to protest Trump's move to expand the G7.
“The G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats. We don't need a G11 or a G12,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday.
His comment seemed to target Russia specifically, but the remarks about no need for a G11 or G12 could mean Korea's participation in the meeting would not be easily approved.
Germany's objection to Trump's idea comes after Japanese media reported that Tokyo was against Seoul's participation in the G7 summit. According to Kyodo News, Tokyo has already expressed this opposition to Washington, claiming that Seoul was “out of lockstep with G7 members on China and North Korea issues.”
Cheong Wa Dae explained that the two most decisive factors in determining Moon's participation were the reaction from relevant countries and also the COVID-19 situation in the U.S.
The series of objections comes as a setback for the presidential office. At the time of the phone call, Cheong Wa Dae did not hide its excitement about the invitation and what it would mean for Korea's diplomatic standing in the international community.
“If the President's visit to the U.S. is realized, it will not be of a one-time nature, in the capacity of an observer,” presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok told a briefing after the Moon-Trump phone talks. “It will mean that Korea will become one of the leaders heading the international order as a member of the newly-formed G11 or G12 system.”
The presidential office saw the G7 invitation as an occasion to raise Korea's international stature further on the back of global accolades toward its much-praised response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest National Security Council meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, reviewed the G7 issue.
“The members examined the progress of this year's G7 summit and discussed the issue of our participation if the meeting is held,” the presidential office said in a statement. “In addition, we have decided to respond actively to the issue of expanding the G7.”
During the phone call with Moon, Trump said the G7 was outdated and did not reflect the current international situation, and proposed an expansion into the G11 or G12. The G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
This year's summit was originally scheduled for June at Camp David, Maryland, but has been postponed to September.