Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong of the Republic of Korea departed today to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), held through January 20–24 in Davos, Switzerland, as the representative of the Korean government.

Themed "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age," this year’s WEF brings together approximately 350 attendees comprising leaders, government representatives, international organization heads, and global CEOs for discussions on trade and investment among other various issues.

On the margins of the event, Trade Minister Cheong will engage in bilateral talks with counterparts of more than 10 economies, including ASEAN, the EU, France, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Japan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. He will also take part in the session on trade and investment leadership with other trade ministers to raise awareness of the need to restore the multilateral trade system.

During the informal WTO trade ministerial meeting on January 24, the trade minister will highlight the importance of enhancing the stability and predictability of the trade environment amid the rise of protectionism and such challenging conditions. Furthermore, he will be expressing Korea’s active commitment to these aims through its APEC chairmanship this year as a staunch supporter of the multilateral trade system.