Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken were set to hold talks Monday on the sidelines of a U.S.-led multination democracy summit in Seoul, their second meeting in less than a month. Cho and Blinken will be participating in the ministerial conference of the Summit for Democracy, a venue that brings together top government officials from some 30 countries on the first day of the three-day gathering. Korea is the first country to host the forum besides the United States since its launch in 2021.Under the theme of “AI, digital technologies and democracy,” Cho and Blinken will both deliver remarks during the conference, along with the ministers and vice ministers of other participating countries, including Australia, Britain and Ecuador, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
A multistakeholder roundtable will be held to discuss digital threats to democratic processes, technological innovation in rights-respecting democratic societies and the role of democracies in upholding online freedom .Cho and Blinken will hold separate talks on the alliance, democratic cooperation and other issues of mutual concern, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula and around the region. The meeting between Cho and Blinken comes only weeks after the two met one-on-one in Washington late last month. Blinken arrived in Seoul on Sunday .Blinken is also expected to pay a visit to President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Summit for Democracy is a multination forum led by the U.S. to strengthen solidarity and reinforce the democratic bloc with like-minded countries in the face of various challenges posed by a rise in authoritarianism .Korea is hosting this year’s summit, its third such session, from Monday through Wednesday. Tuesday’s session will feature panel discussions and workshops by civil society groups, academia and international organizations. The leaders’ session will take place virtually Wednesday, in which U.S. President 토토 Joe Biden is expected to attend via video links
