Park meets with Canada, Mexico at APEC…discusses North Korean human rights measures.

On November 15, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jin Park, is seen taking a commemorative photo with Canadian Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, USA. /Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister Park Jin is seen discussing with Mexican Foreign Minister, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, USA on November 15. /Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister Park Jin is seen shaking hands with Nick Clegg, Global Affairs Representative of Meta. /Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jin Park, met with foreign ministers from Canada and Mexico on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference held in San Francisco, USA, to discuss ways to improve human rights in North Korea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 19th, Minister Park, in a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Joly on the 15th, asked Canada to continue supporting efforts to improve human rights in North Korea. Minister Joly responded, “We agree with the promotion of human rights in North Korea,” and suggested, “Let’s closely consult to strengthen cooperation in bilateral and multilateral dimensions in the future.”

Both ministers also expressed concern over the recent armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, according to the Ministry.

On the same day, Minister Park also had a meeting with Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena Ibarra. He called for the Mexican government’s interest and cooperation in resuming the South Korea-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, initiating negotiations for South Korea’s accession as an associate member of the Pacific Alliance (an alliance of Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru), and concluding negotiations on revising the South Korea-Mexico Investment Guarantee Agreement.

Minister Park also asked Mexico to continue participating in the international community’s united response to North Korean provocations. Minister Bárcena promised to closely cooperate with South Korea for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula in the future.

Meanwhile, Minister Park met with Nick Clegg, the Global Affairs Representative of Meta (M eta), and asked for an expansion of cooperation between South Korea, which has various strengths such as information and communication infrastructure and highly skilled personnel, and Meta.