Public-Private-Academic Cooperation to Strengthen Global Economic Leadership and Address Economic Challenges - The Second Meeting in 2025 of the Policy Advisory Committee on[...]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the second meeting in 2025 of its policy advisory committee on economic diplomacy, chaired by Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, Kim Hee-sang, on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

* A total of 19 participants attended, including five advisory committee members and the Directors-General for International Economic Affairs, Bilateral Economic Affairs, and Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Scientific Affairs.

Deputy Minister Kim noted that during the nearly five months since the inauguration of the new administration, Korea has achieved meaningful results - including being invited to the G7 Summit, where it demonstrated the resilience of Korean democracy and the early restoration of summit diplomacy; successfully concluding tariff negotiations with the U.S. administration; and hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting last week. He emphasized that the Ministry, building on these achievements, is committed to further strengthening Korea's leadership within multilateral economic fora and to pursuing economic diplomacy that delivers tangible outcomes with key partners.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave briefings on the following topics: the outcomes of Korea's APEC chairmanship and plans to bid for the 2028 G20 presidency; major bilateral economic issues between Korea and the United States, including the recent tariff agreement; and diplomatic engagement on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and space, as well as cooperation on climate change and Arctic affairs.

Advisory members commended Korea's leadership as APEC Chair, highlighting its successful role in steering the adoption of the "2025 APEC Leaders' Gyeongju Declaration" and leading discussions on key regional issues such as artificial intelligence and demographic change. They emphasized the importance of sustaining this momentum and called for proactive measures in emerging technology sectors, encouraging the Ministry to support the overseas expansion of Korean SMEs with strong technological capabilities. Members also stressed the need to ensure a stable investment environment for Korean businesses in the United States through close follow-up on the Korea-U.S. tariff agreement, and recommended continued efforts to strengthen economic cooperation with major partners such as China and Japan, building on the outcomes of recent summit meetings held on the margins of APEC.

This meeting served as a valuable opportunity to review progress and discuss future directions for Korea's economic diplomacy under the new administration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to engage closely with the private sector and academia to listen to diverse perspectives, and plans to convene the next meeting in the first half of next year.