Foreign Minister Park Jin said the Group of Seven(G7) needs the support and participation of countries with solid democracy and advanced economies such as South Korea and Australia.

During a speech at a conference hosted by the NEAR Foundation and Korea Foundation in Seoul on Wednesday morning, the top envoy said the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has established a country with status and influence on par with G7 members.

He called for strengthening the roles for advanced democratic countries in order to ensure that global changes unfold favorably toward the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Mentioning the recent expansion of the intergovernmental organization of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa to include nations in the Middle East and Africa, the minister said the Global South is on the rise.

Park contended that South Korea is in the optimal position to serve as a bridge between the Global North, or the advanced countries in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Global South and other regions of the world, from the sphere of Russia and China’s influence to nations aligned with the West.