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The heads of states at the G7 summit pose for a photo together in Cornwall, England, on Saturday. (provided by the Blue House)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of responding forcefully to racism and extremism and cooperating internationally to expand free trade and economic openness while attending the G7 summit in the British county of Cornwall.

On Sunday, Moon attended the summit’s second expanded meeting on “open societies and economies,” where he joined in the adoption of an “Open Societies Statement.”

Resolving to protect and promote the open society values shared by the participating countries, including human rights, democracy and the rule of law, the G7 leaders issued a statement that proposed cooperating to expand those values and allowing the benefits of open societies to be enjoyed in more inclusive ways.

“We [. . . ] face threats to our social fabric from persistent inequalities and discrimination,” the statement said.

“In the midst of these threats we will work together to create an open and inclusive rules-based international order for the future that promotes universal human rights and equal opportunities for all,” it continued.

The Open Societies Statement agreed upon at the expanded meeting that day did not explicitly mention China or Russia, two countries that have been at odds with the US.

But with its mention of “reaffirm[ing] the values that bind us together,” it signaled that the leaders would join together in the alliance of values that Biden is emphasizing, without shying away from conflict when it comes to matters such as “rising authoritarianism,” economic threats and human rights violations.

Sharing South Korea’s own experience with democratization at the meeting, Moon stressed the need for a more forceful response to racial discrimination and other threats that exist within open societies, while calling for cooperation to maintain and expand the free trade and open economies that are economic cornerstones for open societies, the Blue House said.

At the third expanded meeting on the summit on “climate change and the environment,” which was the last official item on the summit schedule, Moon appeared as a speaker, sharing the outcome of last month’s P4G Seoul Summit and calling for participation toward recovering biodiversity and preventing further harm.

As the first in-person multilateral meeting held since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, it also served as a setting for Moon to pursue “vaccine diplomacy.”

Meeting on Saturday with CEO Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca (AZ), producer of one of the current COVID-19 vaccines, Moon asked him to “take advantage of South Korea’s production capabilities to ensure a smoother global vaccine supply.”

In a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday, Moon explored the possibility of technology cooperation with vaccine companies that possess mRNA technology.

“Germany as a leader in vaccine development and South Korea as a country with strengths in vaccine production should be seeking avenues for cooperation,” Moon said, to which Merkel replied that she would “discuss the matter with German vaccine companies that possess mRNA technology,” the Blue House said.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was co-developed by the US company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech.

In another summit with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, Moon noted that the British-developed AZ vaccine was “being used as one of the chief vaccines in South Korea,” to which Johnson proposed “setting up a discussion forum for exploring deeper forms of cooperation between South Korea and the UK on different topics,” Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said.

Responding to Moon’s explanation about efforts toward dialogue with North Korea, Johnson was quoted as saying that he “support[s] the Korean Peninsula peace process,” reminding Moon that the UK “has an embassy in North Korea.”

The question of a South Korea-Japan summit had been the subject of some attention ahead of the summit. In a written briefing, Park Kyung-mee said, “Before the first session of the expanded summit, President Moon met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the Carbis Bay Hotel, and the two of them exchanged polite greetings.”

The encounter between the two leaders appears to have taken place between the official welcoming ceremony for summit guests at 3:30 pm that day and the beginning of the sessions at 4 pm.

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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