▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting
As North Korea failed to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting for the second consecutive year, following its absence last year, the South Korean government has urged Pyongyang to respond to dialogue.
During the 33rd ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Manila, Philippines, today (July 23), Foreign Minister Cho Hyun urged North Korea to respond to the South Korean government's sincere efforts for dialogue and cooperation.
Minister Cho stated during the meeting that "peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula remain essential tasks for regional security and prosperity," explaining that the South Korean government is consistently striving to realize a Korean Peninsula where the two Koreas peacefully coexist and grow together.
He went on to say that these efforts cannot bear fruit through the will of only one side, expressing hope that North Korea will respond to the South Korean government's sincere efforts for dialogue and cooperation.
Minister Cho also called on the ARF—the sole regional multilateral security consultative body in which both South and North Korea participate—to play a constructive role for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The ARF is a regional multilateral security consultative body with 27 member states, including the 11 ASEAN member nations, South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the European Union.
Although it is the only regional security consultative body in which North Korea participates as a member state, Pyongyang has failed to send a delegation to the meeting for two consecutive years.
While participants from a significant number of countries attending the meeting expressed concern over North Korea's continued nuclear and missile development, they emphasized the necessity of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea's compliance with all UN Security Council resolutions.
In addition, they stated that efforts for North Korea's return to dialogue and the easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula are important.
Minister Cho evaluated that the ARF has contributed to confidence-building, preventive diplomacy, and the strengthening of dialogue and cooperation as the sole political and security forum in the region.
He also expressed support for the adoption of the "Manila Plan of Action 2026–2036," which outlines the ARF's cooperation direction for the next decade.
South Korea is scheduled to serve as co-chair of the ARF Inter-Sessional Support Group (ISG) alongside Singapore next year.
The ARF ISG is a consultative body that reviews all confidence-building and preventive diplomacy activities promoted during the ARF inter-sessional period.
Taking advantage of assuming the co-chairmanship, South Korea plans to expand its contribution to discussions on regional security agendas.
Furthermore, South Korea, along with Thailand and the United States, will serve as co-chair of the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime from 2027 to 2029.
As cross-border crimes such as online scams, drugs, and human trafficking emerge as major security issues in the ASEAN region, South Korea plans to promote strengthened cooperation among member states in responding to counter-terrorism and transnational crime.
In the second half of this year, South Korea also plans to jointly host a Port State Measures Agreement workshop to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, alongside the Philippines and the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that South Korea will actively contribute to ARF-level cooperation to address emerging security threats such as transnational crime, cyber security, and maritime security.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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