Keynote Address by H.E. Cho Hyun Minister of Foreign Affairs "Seoul Diplomacy Forum 2025"(November 18, 2025)

Remarks by H.E. Cho Hyun 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
Keynote Address at "Seoul Diplomacy Forum 2025" 

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

It is a great pleasure to deliver today's Keynote Address
at the Seoul Diplomacy Forum 2025.
Although other diplomatic engagements prevent me
from joining you in person this morning,
I am honored to address this gathering.

I thank the KNDA and Chancellor Choi
for organizing this meaningful event.
This year marks the 16th anniversary of the forum.
Over the years, it has been serving as an important platform
for discussing Korea's foreign policy priorities and exploring
avenues of cooperation with partner countries.

(Pragmatism in Foreign Policy)

The world today is adrift and undergoing profound turbulence.

The security, economic, trade, and technological landscapes
are shifting in unprecedented ways.

On the security front, in addition to the ongoing war in Ukraine
and the conflict in the Middle East, dangerous flashpoints
remain in the Indo-Pacific, not least, here in East Asia.

On the economic front, trade barriers are rising,
supply chains are fragmenting, and the rules-based
trading system is increasingly under strain.

In this time of growing uncertainty and instability,
a growing number of nations seek to prioritize
their own national interests.

Against this backdrop, Korea, located in the vortex of
geopolitical and geoeconomic competition,
faces ever more complex strategic calculations.

In addition, Korea faces North Korea's growing
nuclear and missile threats.
Pursuing a pragmatic and interest-based foreign policy
is not a choice, but a necessity for Korea.

We are now in what some may call a 'post-post-Cold War era'.
No one can be certain about the shape of the new era.
What is clear though, is that the seas before us are too rough
to navigate without updating our perspective and toolkit.

It means strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance
as the linchpin of Korea's foreign policy,
while being open-minded and strengthening
mutually beneficial cooperation wherever we can.
This will be based on continuity in our engagement overseas
and broad public and bipartisan support at home.

Indeed, Korea must expand its partnerships and networks.
This is why President Lee Jae Myung has been, on the
occasion of the G7, ASEAN, and APEC, meeting with
not only the leaders of the U.S., Japan, and China
but also with many others from the Indo-Pacific, Europe,
Africa, and not least, Southeast Asia, including Singapore.

At the same time, putting pragmatism and national interest at
the center does not mean turning away from our global
responsibilities.

If a nation of Korea's stature and standing
fails to shoulder responsibilities beyond its borders,
the international order will become more fragile,
ultimately undermining our own national interests.

(Peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia)

Korea's top priority on the security front is to prevent war
and ensure that the Korean Peninsula does not become
a flashpoint of armed conflict.

To safeguard peace, Korea will steadfastly enhance
its own defense capabilities, underpinned by a robust
ROK-U.S. combined defense posture.

At the recent Korea-U.S. Summit in Gyeongju,
our two leaders discussed Korea's commitment to increasing
its defense spending and assuming a leading role in our own defense.

Yet, these measures alone will not suffice.
They must be accompanied by efforts to prevent
inadvertent conflict, deescalate tensions,
and restore dialogue with North Korea.
President Lee's intent to act as a pace maker,
supporting President Trump's role as a peacemaker,
reflects Korea's recognition that the sequence of
U.S.-North Korea and inter-Korean talks is
less important than the restoration of talks itself.

A nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is an imperative
we must never abandon.
The "E ·N ·D Initiative" embodies the goal of pursuing exchange,
normalization, and denuclearization in parallel.
The Korean government will make every effort to advance
denuclearization and build a peace regime through
a phased approach that stops North Korea's arsenals,
reduces them, and ultimately dismantles them.

A constructive role by China is crucial
to restoring dialogue with North Korea.
We also look to Japan's steadfast support
and continued cooperation in this endeavor.

The quest for peaceful coexistence should not be limited
to the Korean Peninsula, but we must seek to prevent
the hardening of confrontational blocs in our region as well.
Accordingly, even as we strengthen trilateral cooperation
among the Korea, U.S. and Japan, we will also advance
cooperation among Korea, China, and Japan
as part of our efforts to promote regional stability.

In this light, we very much welcome the fact that
APEC served as a "bridge" to facilitate the
first U.S.-China Summit in the second Trump administration.

(Ensuring future prosperity in the era of AI)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence,
are driving profound industrial transformations,
bringing both challenges and opportunities.

The Korean government is firmly committed to working
with the international community to harness the
power and potential of AI to unlock new opportunities.
In particular, we plan to invest heavily in developing
physical AI that interacts with the real world,
which can be applied through robotics, automobiles,
and shipbuilding, among others.
At the APEC leaders' meeting,
Korea also played a leading role in the adoption of the AI Initiative.
This is APEC's first joint vision on AI, and the first
AI declaration signed by both U.S. and China at leaders' level.
Through this initiative, Korea will contribute to
the AI transformation in the Asia Pacific region and beyond,
while demonstrating leadership in global AI governance.

It goes without saying that
the public and private sectors must work together as one team.
President Lee recently met with the CEOs of NVIDIA
and OpenAI to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration
in AI infrastructure, technology development,
joint research, training, and startup support.
Likewise, the presence of speakers
from the private sector today is to be applauded.

Collaboration with key partner countries is also essential.
Korea is advancing the ROK-U.S. alliance into a
future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance,
pushing the envelope beyond security and economic ties
to include science and technology cooperation as the third pillar.
We are also working with Japan to build a foundation that produces synergy in AI and other future industries.
(Closing)

These partnerships will be pivotal for Korea
to navigate the shifting global landscape.
Korea will anchor our diplomacy in pragmatism:
guided by national interests,
while seeking to move beyond confrontation
towards peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity.

As we go forward,
I look to you for your continued invaluable support
and partnership on this momentous journey.

Thank you very much.

/END/