July 18, 2024 – Seoul, Republic of Korea – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today concluded a successful visit to Seoul, Republic of Korea.

This visit, her fourth since the launch of the Canada-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2022, underscores the great importance Canada places on our two nations’ ties.

During her visit, Minister Joly met with Cho Tae-yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, to launch the Canada-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan, a major milestone in bilateral relations and a commitment made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Yoon Suk Yeol in May 2023. The action plan is a key component of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and provides a detailed framework toward the full implementation of the five shared priority pillars of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the areas of values and human rights, security and defence, economic prosperity and security, climate change, the environment and sustainability, and health and culture. The ministers also highlighted the recent launch of the Canada-Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges 2024-2025. 

The ministers committed to work together to address shared regional and global issues, including through the Canada-Republic of Korea 2+2 High-Level Dialogue on Economic Security, the High-Level Foreign and Defence Policy Dialogue (2+2) and cooperation in the North Pacific region. The ministers exchanged views on regional and global security challenges, including military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The ministers also explored ways to collaborate as Canada and the Republic of Korea assume the presidencies of, respectively, the G7 and APEC in 2025.

In Seoul, Minister Joly also visited the headquarters of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), a nonprofit international organization whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health. While there, she announced Canada’s intention to join the IVI as a member state. The announcement further demonstrated Canada’s leadership on global health in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.