Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Envoys explore new areas of cooperation beyond Korea-US alliance
Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor listens during the 2023 Korea Times Forum themed “Korea-U.S. Alliance: Security & Space Cooperation” at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
As the Korea-U.S. alliance celebrates its 70th anniversary, The Korea Times Forum scrutinized the current state of the alliance and explored potential pathways for its enhancement.
The discourse extended beyond just Korea and the U.S., seeking interpretations in the context of escalating geopolitical tensions mainly stemming from U.S.-China economic and political rivalry and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
After the keynote speeches by Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon and Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul, Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor noted how the two vice ministers showcased the policy orientation of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and commitment to the United States.
"It is a very strong statement ... I think really anything that strengthens the U.S.-ROK alliance also strengthens the ROK relationship with Israel, almost by definition," he said. ROK is an abbreviation of the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
Uruguayan Ambassador to Korea Pablo Scheiner listens during the 2023 Korea Times Forum themed “Korea-U.S. Alliance: Security & Space Cooperation” at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, Tuesday. At left is Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Ambassador of the Philippines to Korea Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega echoed the relevance of discussing the Korea-U.S. security alliance due to its potential implications for her country, a long-term partner of both countries.
"I think this is a very timely topic ... It is important for us to see the developments in the relationship between the U.S. and Korea as it also has some implications on our very own engagement here in the region, particularly on issues of defense, security, political and economic engagement, but also for future and emerging issues such as space cooperation," Dizon-De Vega said.
The first session focused on examining the status of the alliance with panelists drawn from various areas of the bilateral relationship, including Seoul National University international politics professor Lee Geun, Yonsei University Chinese studies professor John Delury and retired South Korean Army Lt. General Chun In-bum.
Uruguayan Ambassador to Korea Pablo Scheiner said he found the discussion enlightening as it presented diverse interpretations on how the alliance will progress.
"I took interest in that people from different backgrounds ― military, American and Korean scholars ― provided insights into different perspectives of this alliance," Scheiner said.
"(Though the discussion is) not directly related to Uruguay, it helped me understand more of this issue as I am here in Korea now."
Ambassador of Switzerland to Korea Dagmar Schmidt Tartagli, left, and Ambassador of Guatemala to Korea Sara Solis Castaneda listen during the 2023 Korea Times Forum themed “Korea-U.S. Alliance: Security & Space Cooperation” at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
The second session delved into the emerging domain of space cooperation between the two countries with experts Shin Sang-woo of the Space Policy Research Center, Lee Seung-joo of Chung-Ang University, Makena Young from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Peyton Blackstock from NASA.
Konstantinos Daskalopoulos, Counsellor at the Embassy of Greece in Seoul, showed much interest in the new areas of cooperation such as space and digital technology.
"We want to know how we can cooperate. We are a member of the EU and within the EU, we are promoting many projects in the fields of space and digital technology and we want to find ways to cooperate with Korea in the scientific sectors," Daskalopoulos said.
"In September, we are going to hold an intergovernmental summit in Athens and we want to find our path in cooperating in the technological sector, including space cooperation.”