Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Deputy Minister for FTA Negotiations Roh Keon-ki attended the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting Outreach Session as Chief Delegate of the Korean government on July 16 in Reggio Calabria, Italy.

The Session was attended by representatives of the G7 countries, Outreach countries, the business community of G7 countries (B7), and international organizations for discussions on strengthening the resilience of supply chains.

During the Session, Deputy Minister Roh stated that unlike the past when low-cost and high-efficiency were endowed utmost priority, the global supply chain as of late is undergoing drastic changes. Highlighting the importance of cooperation with trustworthy partners in establishing a resilient and stable supply chain, he said that Korea is currently engaging in multilateral cooperation, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), as well as bilateral cooperation with Africa, Latin America, and other regions. Moreover, he introduced Korea’s domestic policies, including the early warning system and the industrial supply chain strategy of lowering key items’ dependency to 50 percent or less by 2030.

On the margins of the G7 Trade Ministerial, Deputy Minister Roh met with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss measures for securing follow-up outcomes to the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) and asked for interest in Korean trade talent’s participation in WTO internships.

The deputy minister also met with a government representative of Brazil, which holds this year’s G20 presidency, and discussed the Korea-Brazil Trade and Investment Promotion Framework (TIPF) implementation, Korea’s preparations for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chairmanship in 2025, and both bilateral and multilateral measures for stronger cooperation.