Foreign Minister Chung calls for G7 efforts for equitable access to vaccines

South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong arrives as G7 foreign ministers meet at Lancaster House in London, Britain, May 5, 2021. REUTERS-Yonhap

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has called for the Group of Seven (G-7) countries to exert their leadership to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, his office said Thursday, amid his stepped-up diplomacy to help South Korea's inoculation program.

Chung attended the in-person gathering of G-7 foreign and development ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Though not party to the G-7, South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei have been invited as guests.

"While sharing our antivirus experience during discussions on responses to COVID-19 and vaccines, Chung stressed the pressing need for the international community's cooperation in guaranteeing equitable access to vaccines, and called for G-7 countries' leadership," the ministry said in a press release.

Chung also called for international support for Seoul's efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which he said is "core" to ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

In addition, the minister underscored the need for cooperation in the protection of the marine environment in the region, the ministry said, in an apparent reference to public safety concerns related to Japan's planned discharge of radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Later in the day, Chung is set to hold talks with his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, for what will be the two countries' sixth foreign ministerial strategic dialogue at the Chevening House in Kent near London.

The two sides plan to discuss the stable development of bilateral relations following Britain's exit from the European Union, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and global issues, such as climate change and public health, the ministry said. (Yonhap)