Min Hong-cheol and Yoon Jae-gap, members of the Democratic Party, attended the 2023 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Congressional Federation Spring Meeting as a delegation to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Through meetings with delegations from each country, they discussed plans for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, defense industry cooperation, and hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo (Expo).
According to the National Assembly on the 22nd, this spring meeting, hosted by the NATO Parliamentary Alliance and the Luxembourg Parliament, was held for four days from the 19th to the 22nd at the European Convention Center Luxembourg in Luxembourg. The Spring General Assembly was held under the agenda of ‘various political, economic and security challenges faced by NATO and its partner countries’.
The five committee meetings include: Preventing impunity for Russian violations of international law; Security changes and challenges resulting from the war in Ukraine; China’s global role after the war in Ukraine; Strengthening NATO’s defense industry base; Protecting critical maritime infrastructure; It was held under the theme of Russia’s response to disinformation.
At the plenary session, speeches were given by the president of the NATO parliamentary federation, key figures from major countries, and persons invited by the NATO parliamentary federation, and resolutions adopted by the committee were passed.
The delegation held a bilateral meeting with the Polish delegation, including the head of the Polish delegation of Nato Parliamentary Federation Bartosz Kovnagy, to discuss cooperation in the defense industry between the two countries and the future direction of the relationship, and asked for support for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo.
On the 20th, he attended the meeting of the Defense Security Committee, listened to the presentations of Luxembourg Defense Minister Francois Bausch and NATO Procurement Director Stacey Cummings, and participated in the discussion. In the afternoon, he held bilateral meetings with the Ukrainian delegation about the situation in Ukraine, humanitarian aid plans for Ukraine, and post-war reconstruction plans in Ukraine.
On the 21st, he attended the Democratic Security Committee and the Political Committee. The Committee for Democracy and Security listened to the presentations of Luxembourg Economy Minister Franz Payot and NATO Secretary-General Irene Pelin, the Special Representative for Women’s Peace and Security, and participated in the discussion. At the Political Committee, she participated in a panel discussion on lessons from the war in Ukraine and future prospects.
On the morning of the same day, a bilateral meeting was held with the Turkish delegation, including Osman Ashken Park, the head of the Turkish Parliamentary Federation of the NATO Parliamentary Federation, about cooperation between Korea and Turkey in the defense industry and ways to promote friendly relations.
On the 22nd, he attended the plenary session and listened to speeches by key figures such as NATO Parliamentary League President Joel Garyu Meiram, Luxembourg National Assembly Speaker, Prime Minister and Defense Minister, and NATO Parliamentary League leaders from Ukraine, Finland and Sweden.
The NATO Parliamentary League was created in 1955 as an inter-parliamentary organization composed of 274 members of parliament from 31 NATO member states. Starting in 2009, Korea has participated in a total of 14 general meetings so far this year.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.