South Korean President Lee seeks support from diplomatic corps ahead of APEC hosting

Seoul, Aug 15 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday hosted a dinner with members of the diplomatic corps, seeking their support ahead of his meetings with foreign leaders during South Korea's hosting of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and other upcoming diplomatic engagements.

The dinner, held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, brought together about 170 participants, including ambassadors, representatives of international organizations and military officials.

Lee said his government will work with the international community to address shared global challenges, vowing to engage closely with foreign leaders on various occasions, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"I will meet with as many leaders as possible, and when in-person meetings are inevitably limited, we will supplement them through letters and phone calls," he said.

The event, held amid Lee's packed schedule on the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, came ahead of a flurry of diplomatic events later this year, including the APEC summit to be hosted in South Korea's Gyeongju in Oct. 31 and Nov. 1

Other diplomatic events mentioned by Lee included the UN General Assembly in September, Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related summits in October and the Group of 20 summit in November.

During the meeting, Lee expressed gratitude over their support when South Korea underwent political upheaval after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in December.

"You must have been deeply concerned while facing difficulties in your activities amid domestic political turmoil following the declaration of martial law," Lee said

"I thank you for trusting the resilience of Korean democracy and the strength of our people during the process of overcoming this crisis," he added.

Lee also vowed to sternly respond to discrimination, violence and acts of human rights infringements of foreigners and migrant workers, while asking for their support to ensure the safety of over 7 million Korean nationals abroad.

Among those who attended were Joseph Yun, the acting US ambassador to South Korea, Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing, Japanese Ambassador Mizushima Koichi as well as US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and UN Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay.

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