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| Foreign Minister Park Jin answers reporters' questions upon arriving at Ngurah Rai International Airport in the Indonesian island of Bali, Thursday, to attend the G20 foreign ministerial meeting. Yonhap |
Trilateral FM meeting with US, Japan to take place on Friday
By Kang Seung-woo
Foreign Minister Park Jin said, Thursday, Korea will join international cooperation to protect freedom, peace, human rights and the rule of law in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
"Based on the principles of openness, transparency and inclusiveness in international relations, we will play a responsible role in responding to global challenges," Park said.
"We hope Korea-China relations will mutually develop based on the universal values and rules," he added.
Park also said Korea wants to communicate with China at every level to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.
Park's remarks are seen as the Korean government's plan to shift its China policy, which means the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will side with the United States amid an escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
In response, Wang said China attaches great importance to the fact that the new Korean government had started its new journey toward bilateral ties.
"We face important development opportunities, while at the same time there are some challenges that we need to deal with together," he said.
"So we stand ready to work with the Korean side to ensure that our good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation will continue," Wang added.
Park flew to Indonesia to attend the foreign ministerial meeting of G20 major economies, which includes Wang, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Earlier in the day Park said he was looking forward to getting an opportunity to resolve Korea's diplomatic feud with Japan as the new Korean government seeks to mend ties with the neighboring country.
The top diplomat also said he was open to talks with his Russian counterpart, after Korea joined U.S.-led sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
"I think there would be a chance to encounter Hayashi and hold a meaningful dialogue with him during a general session or other meetings," Park said upon his arrival in Bali.
Currently, ties between Korea and Japan have slumped to their worst level in years due to Tokyo's imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for the semiconductor and display industries here, in an apparent retaliation against a ruling by Korea's Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.
However, since the May 10 inauguration of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who stresses the need to improve relations with Japan, the government has shown signs of efforts to normalize ties with Tokyo, as evidenced by the recent launch of a public-private consultative body to settle the wartime labor issue.
Amid media reports that Park and Hayashi may hold a bilateral meeting in Indonesia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Thursday, such an event had yet to be arranged.
"Currently, Korea and Japan are engaged in discussions over the meeting," Park said.
"Considering Japan's domestic schedule, I think my trip to Japan would be made at a mutually convenient time."
Park's remarks come as he is anticipated to travel to Japan for a foreign ministerial meeting, while flights between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports resumed, June 29, after a two-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resumption is part of Yoon's efforts to normalize Korea-Japan ties and bolster exchanges between the two countries.
However, Park is likely to hold trilateral talks with his American and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of a G20 session, Friday, which would mark Park's first in-person group meeting with Blinken and Hayashi since taking office in May.
The Korean government has participated in Washington-led economic sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, with additional punitive measures being likely.
"As you know, the Korean government has stated that it regards the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law. And it is the first time that Korea has imposed sanctions on Russia," Park said.
"So I plan to discuss with countries that are seriously concerned about the current situation in Ukraine about how to respond and cooperate."
The foreign minister said he did not have a plan to sit down with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, although he believes that there would be an opportunity to encounter him.
"There are many issues we can talk about with each other in the event of a meeting with Lavrov," Park added.
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