The 5th National Consultation on “World Order and the National Assembly” was Successfuly Held
- Kim Jin Pyo, Speaker of the National Assembly, stated, “In times of turbulent waves, we must pursue balanced diplomacy for national survival.” -
- Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated, “Diplomacy should be bipartisan but rooted in values to pursue national interests.” -
On July 13, at 9:30 AM, the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Kim Jin Pyo, successfully held the 5th National Consultation at the 1st meeting room of the Member’s Office Building under the theme of “Global Order Transition Period – What Will the National Assembly Do?”
Speaker Kim Jin Pyo stated, “Diplomacy is both economy and security, and value diplomacy and pragmatic diplomacy are the two pillars of diplomacy in the era where diplomatic power is national competitiveness.” He added, “In times of turbulent waves, we must pursue balanced diplomacy with the thought of preserving our lives.”
Bank Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, said, “Diplomacy should be bipartisan but rooted in values to pursue national interests.” He added that “the National Assembly must play a meaningful role in light of value-based alliance relations with the United States and friendly relations based on history and tradition with China.” Moreover, mentioning recent issues such as the Fukushima wastewater release, he emphasized that “while the legislature cannot blindly support the administration's diplomatic policies, turning domestic issues into international issues does not benefit national interests.”
In his congratulatory remarks, Ha Taekeung, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, expressed his “gratitude to Speaker Kim Jin Pyo for taking a central role in addressing current issues such as the Fukushima wastewater release,” while emphasizing that “we need to gather our wisdom at a time when the global order is being reorganized.” Hong Young-pyo, Chairman of the Korea-China Parliamentary Union, stated, “The top priority of diplomatic security is national interest. The Union will work together to open new horizons in Korea-China relations.” In the following congratulatory remarks, Foreign Minister Park Jin stressed that “the advantage of parliamentary diplomacy is that honest political dialogue is possible,” and asked “the National Assembly’s active support for the expansion of diplomatic infrastructure to become a global pivotal state.”
In the discussion session moderated by Chun Chaesung, Professor at Seoul National University, Kim Han Jung, the Representative of the Korean Peace Forum, emphasized that “national strategy is not limited to the field of diplomacy and security, and a new national strategy should be established by establishing a permanent special committee on future strategy.” Choi Hyung-doo, the research representative of the Global Innovation Research Forum, stated that “the National Assembly is a sustainable channel for diplomacy. We need a supporting organization for parliamentary diplomacy to maintain the channel on a permanent basis.”
Seo Jungkun, Professor at Kyung Hee University, argued that “we need working lawmakers, rather than a working National Assembly. Each lawmaker should become an entrepreneurial lawmaker with expertise in a specific issue. To achieve this, we must activate policy hearings in the National Assembly.” Lee Hee Ok, Professor at Sungkyunkwan Univesity, said, “The recent visit of the WTO Director-General was not reported in the media. This signifies the shaking of the liberal international order. Amid increasing diplomatic sunk costs due to changes in government, there is a need for the parliament's own brand of diplomatic efforts.” Choe Wongi, Professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, highlighted that “most of the major challenges of Korean diplomacy are related to China,” and that “securing strategic autonomy against China is a major challenge in diplomacy and security.” Lee Jeong-eun, a columnist for Dong-a Ilbo, stated, “When U.S. President Joe Biden visited South Korea, his first destination was the Samsung semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek. As diplomacy and security are closely related to economic issues, the National Assembly needs to provide proactive support in global competition areas.”
The National Consultation, organized and hosted by the National Assembly Secretariat and National Assembly Futures Institute, was broadcast live on the National Assembly TV and its YouTube channel, and the consultation materials are available on the National Assembly Futures Institute website.
During the national consultation, which is designed by the National Assembly to create an opportunity to lead the national agenda, National Assembly’s Special Committees, National Assembly’s affiliated agencies, and other relevant institutions will jointly study and discuss national pending issues that can shape the future of the Republic of Korea. Following the 5th National Consultation, subsequent consultations are scheduled to be held on topics such as the ventures and startups, local extinction.
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