Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon vows to play bigger role in tackling food crisis, climate change
President Yoon Suk Yeol attends an expanded session of the Group of Seven Summit at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday. From left are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yoon, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Joint Press Corps
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
HIROSHIMA, Japan ― President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged an increased role for South Korea in global society's battle against the food crisis, health risks and climate change during speeches at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday, assuring participants of Seoul's increased donations to global programs and organizations.
Yoon made the pledges during his participation in two G7 expanded sessions, in which leaders of invited countries spoke about pledges for the world. Yoon participated in a session on food, healthcare, development, gender and other joint responses for a sustainable Earth.
According to senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok, Yoon promised that South Korea will double its food assistance to six countries suffering shortages from 50,000 tons of rice per year to 100,000 tons.
In 2018, when South Korea joined the Food Assistance Convention, it promised to provide 50,000 tons of food assistance to countries, including Yemen, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, through the United Nations' World Food Programme.
During the expanded session, Yoon also said he would expedite the government's plan of establishing a “K-rice belt” across African nations, by providing seeds and agricultural equipment to help those countries improve their rice self-sufficiency rate.
To tackle emerging health risks, Yoon also promised that South Korea will almost triple its donation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to $24 million.
CEPI is a global partnership financing research projects on vaccines against emerging infectious disease. South Korea began its engagement with the group in 2020 by promising to donate $3 million each year from 2020 to 2022.
Along with the increased donations, the president also said South Korea will support developing nations' efforts to improve their universal health coverage by sharing Seoul's experience of running the National Health Insurance program.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks with global leaders participating in the Group of Seven Summit during the official photo session for the event near the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday. Joint Press Corps
In regards to climate change, Yoon said in a speech during the second session that South Korea had decided to participate in the G7's Climate Club, which was established in December last year to invite interested countries and push them to pursue ambitious climate policies.
Of the three pillars of the Climate Club ― advancing climate mitigation policies, transforming industries toward decarbonization and strengthening international partnerships ― South Korea is anticipated to begin discussions on decarbonizing industries, according to Choi.
During his speech, Yoon called for international society's proactive participation in the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) second replenishment.
In its first replenishment, the GCF attracted $10 billion which it invested in transformational climate projects worth over $40 billion, including co-financing, in more than 100 countries.
“South Korea, which is categorized as a developing nation in the GCF, is not obliged to make donations to the GCF, but the country has already promised $300 million, becoming the 11th-largest contributor to the fund,” Choi said. “The South Korean government will join in efforts by the global community so that the fund can secure more than $10 billion in its second replenishment.”