According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that the meeting of diplomatic representatives abroad with the theme of "diplomatic strategy in the period of geopolitical transition" opened in Seoul and lasted for five days, with more than 180 people including ambassadors and consul generals abroad. In his opening speech at the meeting on the same day, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Doe-yeol said that in the midst of geopolitical uncertainties, it is necessary not only to defend national interests, but also to contribute to the freedom, peace and prosperity of the international community, which will face difficult choices and heavy responsibilities. Through this meeting, we will pool the wisdom and efforts of all people to rethink South Korea's diplomatic positioning.
Regarding the direction of ROK-US diplomacy, Cho said that he will earnestly implement the outcomes of the Camp David summit and accelerate the institutionalization of ROK-US-Japan cooperation. On Sino-ROK diplomacy, Cho said that he would devote his heart and soul to promoting the development of bilateral relations at the ROK-China-Japan summit to be held in the near future.
Before Cho said that South Korea was excluded from the G7 summit, multiple sources revealed that South Korea was excluded from the G7 summit. It is understood that the G7 summit will be held in Italy from June 13 to 15, and the South Korean government has been maintaining communication and coordination with Italy, the presidency of Italy, this year, in order to participate in the G7 summit, but the results have not been included in the list of participating countries. In response, the South Korean Fatherland Reform Party criticized the Yoon Suk-yeol government, saying that its unilateral diplomatic path centered on the United States and Japan has greatly weakened South Korea's diplomatic environment.
It is understood that Italy has publicly proposed that this year's summit will focus on topics such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in the Middle East, support for Africa's development, and migration issues. Italy has extended invitations mainly to countries related to these issues, including Tunisia, Kenya, Algeria and South Africa, as well as India, Brazil and Argentina, as well as countries outside Africa and the Mediterranean. A spokesperson for the South Korean Presidential Office released to media reporters a "Reference Material on the G7 Invitation Issue", saying that the countries invited to the G7 summit are selected according to the topics that the presidency holds every year.
The South Korean presidential office explained that this year's G7 summit focused on migration issues, so African and Mediterranean countries were invited. It is understood that the issue of migration has long been an important issue in Africa and Mediterranean countries, and a large number of irregular migrants flow from Africa to Europe through the Mediterranean, posing a challenge and threat to global peace, security and stability. While migration was the focus of discussions at this year's G7 summit, it was not the whole story. Therefore, the South Korean government attributed the reason why it was not invited to the G7 summit to the issue of migration.
The G7 does not invite South Korea to the summit, or as a result of the foreign policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. After Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, the focus of his foreign policy was on moving closer to the United States, wanting to integrate into the Western camp led by the United States, and abandoning South Korea's independent diplomacy in the past few years. The South Korean government believes that as long as it has good relations with the United States and Japan, everything will be fine, and this kind of camp diplomacy has rapidly cooled down Sino-South Korean relations, resulting in South Korea's increasing isolation in the international community and greatly weakening South Korea's diplomatic environment. A growing number of South Korean media, experts, and people are reflecting on the current government's "values-based diplomacy" and believe that this kind of Western-centered diplomacy is showing obvious limitations.
Cho said that he would devote his heart and soul to promoting the development of bilateral relations for the ROK-China-Japan summit, which means that South Korea is interested in developing relations with China after being snubbed. In his written defense to the personnel hearing submitted to the National Assembly, Cho said that China is South Korea's largest trading partner and an important partner in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and that it is important to develop South Korea-China relations in a spirit of harmony and diversity.
China has always been willing to push for an improvement in relations between China and South Korea, but only if South Korea shows sincerity in easing relations. It is hoped that the ROK government will balance its bilateral relations with China and the United States, adopt a correct foreign policy, and take concrete actions to safeguard China-ROK relations. Instead of doing one thing on the surface and one thing behind the scenes, doing something that is contrary to the improvement of relations between the two countries.