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| Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, second from right, attends a discussion session at the World Economic Forum 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap |
By Lee Kyung-min
Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun stressed the role of nuclear energy to navigate climate change, at the World Economic Forum 2023, also known as the Davos Forum, in Switzerland, according to the trade ministry, Thursday.
At the Polish House discussion session, he reiterated that the global community should recognize the need to better utilize nuclear energy amid the energy crisis sparked and prolonged by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Nuclear energy is, he said, increasingly emerging as the best carbon-free energy source that can help counter global energy security and climate crises.
The stable source of power, he added, has been and will continue to be instrumental in underpinning the growth of Korea's high-tech manufacturing including semiconductors, electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries.
"Korea's capabilities in the construction and maintenance of nuclear power facilities are recognized by its global peers, as clearly illustrated by the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates," Ahn said during a session titled "The pathway to European energy sovereignty."
Korea and Poland can seek a win-win outcome through closer nuclear energy cooperation, he said.
"Korea will be able to help Poland maintain energy security and achieve carbon neutrality goals," he said. "Korea's decades-long track record of building the facilities on time within budget is further buttressed by the stable operation of 25 nuclear reactors in Korea."
Ahn also attended sessions titled "The Case for Trade," "Busting Business Barriers" and "Trade and Investment Leadership Luncheon" to discuss ways to facilitate trade and investment to revitalize global trade, scarred by years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also on the discussion panel with Korea's trade minister was Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
They discussed ways to fortify global trade solidarity to revitalize global free trade, which is showing signs of rapid deterioration in the face of protectionism and nationalism.
Ahn in a separate session discussed ways to foster digital trade and global supply chain stability and rein in protectionist measures.
He also had a closed-door meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the secretary general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and a series of trade discussion sessions with trade ministers of economically developed nations.
Ahn met with ministers and vice ministers of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ecuador and Australia to discuss ways to advance free trade agreements and strengthen and restore the dispute resolution functions of the international trade organization.
Ahn had a meeting with Amazon Web Services Vice President Michael Punke and discussed ways to fortify digital trade.
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