Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun (right) on June 25 poses for photos with María Fernanda Espinosa, former president of the United Nations General Assembly visiting Korea to attend the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, at the Haevichi Hotel & Resort in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Yoon Sojung

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun has talked with candidates for secretary-general of the United Nations (U.N.) on the world body's role and cooperation at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity at the Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju in Seogwipo, Jeju Island.

The diplomat from June 24 held a series of meetings starting with Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, and continued the next day with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's ambassador to the U.N.; and Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former president of the U.N. General Assembly.

The candidates explained their visions for the future and priorities, emphasizing the crucial role of middle powers like Korea in U.N. reform and the advancement of multilateralism.

They praised Seoul's contributions in areas like global peace and security, streamlining of the non-proliferation regime and implementation of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals, pointing out Korea's expansion of cooperation with diverse regions including Africa and its responsible role in taking on key international issues through its activities on the U.N. Security Council.

"As the world's ninth-largest donor to the U.N., Korea has consistently contributed to peace and prosperity in the international community," Minister Cho said, urging the candidates to pay attention to and support the expansion of Korean participation in U.N. agencies and promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

On June 25, a dialogue for the U.N. chief candidates at the forum was under the theme "Reimagining Multilateralism: A Dialogue with UN Secretary-General Candidates" and they took part in a panel discussion. They all emphasized the need for U.N. reform and presented their visions for achieving it through measures like restoring trust and promoting inclusivity and communication.

The forum was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Jeju Peace Institute and East Asia Foundation.

arete@korea.kr