3rd Summit for Democracy kick offs in Seoul on Monday, with S. Korean, U.S. FMs to meet

민주주의 정상회의 오늘 서울서 개막 한미 외교장관회담도 The ’Third Democracy Summit’ will be held in Seoul for three days starting on Monday, continuing the initiative to protect societies from various threats to human rights, freedom, and other democratic principles. The initiative began in 2021 by President Joe Biden, and it’s the first time to be hosted independently by another country. Oh Soo-young has the details. The Third Summit for Democracy kicks off in Seoul on Monday, with world governments, civil society and the private sector to address digital threats to freedom and human rights. With some 300 delegates expected at the three-day summit, it is the first time that the conference is being held independently outside the United States. Under the theme, ’Democracy for the Future Generation,’ this year’s summit begins with a ministerial-level meeting followed by an expert roundtable on democratic processes to address cyber threats and foster digital innovation in a way that respects human rights and freedom in online spaces. On the second day, members of civil society will hold discussions and workshops on related themes. The plenary session of world leaders will be held virtually on Wednesday evening Seoul time, with President Yoon Suk Yeol chairing the session on Technology, Elections and Fake News. He has recently spoken with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the threat to democracies that comes from the manipulation of AI and social media. Kenyan President William Ruto will lead a session on the Global South, and Danish leader Mette Frederiksen on Inclusive Society and Youth Empowerment. The Summit for Democracy was launched in 2021 under the leadership of U.S. President Joe Biden, amid the worrying rise of autocratic leaders and authoritarian governance around the world. The second summit was held in March last year --jointly hosted by the U.S., South Korea, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in S. Korea Sunday evening to attend this year’s summit, and a lunch with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. Seoul’s foreign ministry says the two are likely to discuss issues of mutual interest such as democratic cooperation, strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance as well as regional and global issues. A bipartisan group of U.S. Congress members on Friday addressed a letter to Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin lauding Seoul’s initiative on hosting the Third Summit for Democracy. They said South Korea has risen from the ashes of war to become one of Washington’s closest allies and a vibrant democracy that best demonstrates joint efforts to defend democracy around the world. Oh Soo-young, Arirang News. #Summit_for_Democracy #SouthKorea #Third_Democracy_Summit #digital_threats #freedom #human_rights #민주주의_정상회의 #한미외교장관 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-03-18, 09:00 (KST)