President Lee Jae-myung, delivering a keynote address at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, local time, said, "The repeated maritime blockades in Hormuz and the Red Sea have shown how deeply the daily lives of people around the world are shocked when key corridors of energy and logistics are weaponized," adding, "Countries with the capacity and will to supply global public goods must expand the space for cooperation."

As a way forward, President Lee proposed a 'Coalition of Constructive Contributors.'

President Lee pledged, "The Republic of Korea will actively utilize existing cooperation frameworks, including the International Energy Agency (IEA), while strengthening energy supply chain cooperation even more tightly."

In particular, he explained that broadening the scope of cooperation through a 'Coalition of Constructive Contributors' is crucial, stating, "This task cannot be resolved by the Republic of Korea alone. Nor can we sit idly by and wait until all nations agree on a single solution."

He continued, "This is not about creating a new organization or an exclusive group. It is about expanding the scope in a flexible and open manner while respecting the international order and the functions of the United Nations."

He added, "When the achievements of cooperation created in this 'separate yet together' manner accumulate, we will be able to overcome geopolitical competition, deadlocks, and fragmentation, and restore trust in multilateralism."

As another vision under the 'K-Initiative,' he presented a 'Global AI Basic Society.'

President Lee explained, "Starting with 'AI basic healthcare,' the Republic of Korea is promoting a grand AI transition to solidly guarantee basic rights across diverse areas of life, such as social security, labor, housing, and culture."

He also said, "The Republic of Korea dreams of a 'Global AI Basic Society' where no country and no person is excluded from the fundamental benefits of AI advancement, and we will take the lead so that artificial intelligence can serve as a tool to solve common challenges facing humanity, including the climate crisis, health, food, and refugee issues."

Remarks regarding United Nations reform followed as well.

President Lee stated, "The United Nations must also change in step with the changing times," adding, "We must reduce duplication in organizations and projects, make decision-making faster, and concentrate limited resources on the fields where they are most desperately needed."

He further noted, "We also support Security Council reform that will make the council operate in a more effective, more democratic, and accountable manner."

(Photo: Yonhap News)