Special Keynote Address by H.E. Cho Hyun

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea

KF-ASPI Forum 2025

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

President Kang Kyung-wha of the Asia Society

President Kim Ki-hwan of the Korea Foundation,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to join you for the inaugural Korea Foundation - Asia Society Policy Institute Forum 2025.

My sincere appreciation goes out to our two co-hosts -- the Korea Foundation and the Asia Society -- each of whom have made deep contributions to strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance over the years.

Let me also take a moment to give special thanks to Rorry Daniels, Managing Director and Senior Fellow of the Asia Society Policy Institute.  

Indeed, the joint collaboration between our co-hosts today best represents the spirit of Korea-U.S. partnership, and sets the stage for a timely discussion on the future of the Korea-U.S. alliance at this pivotal juncture.

President Lee Jae-myung was sworn into office just last month, marking a new beginning with a powerful democratic mandate to chart our future course at home and on the world stage.

The global challenges facing the Lee Jae-myung government are formidable -- the title of a well-known film captures it best: “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

Tensions, both geopolitical and geo-economic, permeate through every front -- from diplomacy to trade to technology to supply chains -- even as battlefronts persist in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Meeting the challenges from without requires strength and resolve from within.

For Korea, reclaiming our inner strength meant overcoming the gravest constitutional test in decades. The events that have unfolded since last December underscore how the Korean people successfully rose to the occasion through a just, peaceful and democratic process.

Korea’s democratic resilience at home underpins its ability to engage in stronger diplomacy abroad.

The Lee Jae-myung government’s engagement with the world will be guided by a common sense approach to policy and pragmatism rooted in national interest.

At the forefront of these efforts stands the Lee Jae-myung administration’s unswerving commitment to a robust Korea-US alliance.

To those who doubt the new administration’s resolve to advance our alliance, let me be unequivocally clear : President Lee Jae-myung and his administration are fully committed to strengthening the Korea-US alliance.

The alliance’s security pillar, which rests on the Mutual Defense Treaty, and the trade and economic pillar, which is founded on the Free Trade Agreement, have helped our partnership successfully navigate the countless challenges of the past decades.

But more needs to be done.

In order to ensure that the Korea-US partnership continues to remain a win-win proposition for the future of both countries, it must evolve further in a rapidly-changing world.

The new government is therefore committed to working closely with the Trump administration to build a future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance.

This includes standing up an additional pillar of cooperation, in cutting-edge domains such as AI, bio, next-generation energy, quantum, among others, which I call the 3rd pillar of technology.    

Even as we push the envelope of our alliance into these newer realms, we will work strenuously to resolve pending bilateral issues, such as those on trade and tariffs, while modernizing our security alliance to meet the demands of our times.

Korea’s world-class manufacturing prowess, including in the shipbuilding and defense industries, will also be brought to the table in ways that strengthen the sinews of our partnership.

Korea’s capabilities can serve as alliance multipliers.  

Our commitment to strengthening trilateral Korea-US-Japan cooperation also stands firm and undiminished.

With Japan, we will build a strong, mature and forward-looking partnership grounded in our shared interests. Korea will also be consistent and patient in our approach to historical issues.

Ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula will be a central priority of the new administration.

We must stand firm and vigilant against any threats from North Korea, its nuclear ambitions and its deepening military cooperation with Russia.

However, the imperative of preventing escalation and inadvertent war on the Korean Peninsula makes dialogue and diplomacy more urgent than ever—diplomacy that ultimately paves the way to denuclearization.

An unwavering Korea-US combined defense posture is essential, as are China’s and Russia’s responsible and constructive efforts to address the dangers posed by North Korea to regional security.

Now, there’s much more to say on our foreign policy priorities but I’ll save that for another time.  

I would rather like to highlight, however, one important event, which is the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju in October.

The Summit will offer an opportune platform to showcase our vision. APEC is not simply a gathering of leaders, but also an opportunity to chart a path towards peace, prosperity and sustainability.

We will do our utmost to make it successful, together with the United States.

Distinguished Guests,

The KF-ASPI Forum 2025 represents a gathering of finest minds to reflect on our past and discuss ways to shape our future.

Thank you again for your invitation. I wish you all a successful and inspiring forum.

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