President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 15 gives a keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit held at Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a visit to San Francisco to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, on Nov. 15 said in his keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit, "APEC's role as protector of the multilateral trading system must be expanded."

He also emphasized directions for cooperation to enhance connectivity in the APEC region in the three areas of trade, investment and supply chains, digital and future generations.

President Yoon hailed APEC's efforts toward lowering regional trade barriers and boosting the capacities of member states, adding, "Resilient supply chains form the core of the multilateral trading system." 

"Reinforcement of supply chain resilience should be pursued as APEC's top priority like setting up an early warning system within APEC and sharing the experiences of each member country."

In the digital sector, he said, "Data must be smoothly connected beyond borders and the digital divide among countries must disappear," urging the need for new norms and an order befitting the digital era.

In addition, Korea announced plans to play an active role in global discussions on the designation of digital norms based on the Digital Bill of Rights released by Seoul in September.

The charter proposes the fundamental direction of setting a digital order and includes principles in a digital environment such as freedom, rights, fairness and safety.

President Yoon also emphasized the importance of active exchanges between future generations to find innovative ideas and create business opportunities. He suggested an exchange initiative for regional youth scientists, saying, "Let us guarantee free movement within the region by youths with specific academic degrees in science who work in research and development."

As a business event held on the sidelines of the main APEC forum, the CEO Summit this year was hosted by the APEC Business Advisory Council and the National Center for APEC, which served as the secretariat. The summit was opened under the theme "Sustainability, Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation."

Before the summit, President Yoon started his official schedule after his arrival in San Francisco by attending a luncheon meeting with ethnic Koreans in the U.S.

km137426@korea.kr