Cho urges global cooperation on critical mineral security at G7

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attends the second G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in the Niagara region of Canada from Nov. 11 to 12. / Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attended the second G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Canada’s Niagara region from Nov. 11 to 12, where he discussed ways to strengthen Korea–G7 cooperation in maritime security, critical minerals, and energy.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Nov. 13, the meeting brought together foreign ministers from G7 member states and invited partners, including Korea, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine.

In the first session on “Maritime Security and Prosperity,” Cho underscored the importance of upholding maritime order based on international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He also stressed the need to protect key undersea infrastructure such as submarine cables, calling for enhanced international cooperation on maritime security and law enforcement.

In the session on “Critical Minerals and Energy Security,” Cho identified instability in critical mineral supply chains and global energy markets as major challenges. He called for international partnerships across the entire supply chain, emphasizing the roles of public–private financial cooperation, technology sharing, and information exchange.

As chair of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), Cho reaffirmed Korea’s commitment to contributing to global supply-chain cooperation. He also reiterated Korea’s support for the “G7 Action Plan on Critical Minerals,” which Seoul joined during the G7 summit in June.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Cho held bilateral encounters with ministers from Canada, the United States, Japan, Ukraine, South Africa, India, Italy and Saudi Arabia, exchanging views on key bilateral issues and shared global concerns.

A Foreign Ministry official said Cho’s attendance, invited by this year’s G7 host Canada, helped deepen Korea–G7 partnerships on major global agendas and enhance Korea’s status as a responsible global actor.

ⓒ "젊은 파워, 모바일 넘버원 아시아투데이"