The 19th Arctic Frontiers and Arctic Council Observer Meeting was held at Tromso in Norway, from Jan. 27 to 30. Chung Byung-ha Chung, representative for Arctic Cooperation, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended at the meeting, and discussed key figures with Arctic countries and visited key Arctic-related organizations to discuss trends in Arctic-related issues and ways to strengthen Korea’s Arctic cooperation.
Arctic Frontiers is an annual international conference on the Arctic held annually in Tromso, Norway, since 2007, with more than 1,000 participants from governments, academia, industry, and the media. Tromso is known as the “Gateway to the Arctic” because it is the seat of major Arctic-related organizations, including the Arctic Council Secretariat, the Arctic Economic Council Secretariat, and the Arctic Indigenous Peoples Secretariat.
The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum established by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996 to discuss sustainable development and environmental protection issues in the Arctic, and consists of eight member states and 13 observer states. Korea has been participating as an observer state since 2013.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Maritime Affairs, the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), and the Korea Maritime and Fisheries Development Institute (KMI) participated in the Arctic Frontier and related meetings.
This year’s Arctic Frontier, held under the theme of “Beyond Borders,” was attended by government officials from major Arctic countries, including the Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store, the Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Finland, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Sweden, as well as representatives from industry, academia, and research, to diagnose the current situation, including the trend of increasing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic Circle, and to exchange views on ways to advance international cooperation in the Arctic.
Korea hosted a session on “Korea’s Journey of Arctic Cooperation,” explaining its various contributions, including scientific research, to addressing major Arctic issues such as climate change, as well as the meaning and plans for Arctic Partnership Week, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Arctic Partnership Week is an international forum co-organized annually since 2016 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to expand international cooperation in various fields such as Arctic-related policies, scientific research, and industry, with more than 1,000 participants, including government officials, ambassadors of Arctic Circle countries to Korea, domestic and international experts, and members of the public.
Chung attended the observers’ meeting chaired by Senior Arctic Official Chair (SAOC) of the Arctic Council Morten Hoglund, introducing Korea’s contributions in various fields such as combating climate change, protecting the Arctic environment, and fostering future generations of experts in the Arctic, and expressing Korea’s continued involvement in Arctic issues and willingness for multifaceted cooperation.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Eide emphasized the need to maintain the Arctic Council’s key role as a forum for discussing key issues in the Arctic, even amid geopolitical uncertainty, and recognized the contributions of observer states, including the Republic of Korea, through their active participation in the activities of the Council’s six working groups.
During the Arctic Frontier, Chung met with government officials from key Arctic states, including Robert Sinclair, Canada’s High Commissioner for the Arctic, and Tove Sovndahl, Government of Greenland, and exchanged views on Arctic Council trends and responses to current issues in a rapidly changing Arctic environment. Chung also visited the Korea-Norway Center for Polar Cooperation Research, the Arctic Council Secretariat, the Arctic Council Secretariat for Indigenous Peoples, and the Arctic Economic Council Secretariat to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation with Korean research institutions and businesses.
Denmark, as the next Arctic Council Chair (2025-27), will appoint Greenland’s representative to the Council of Ministers and the Chair of the Arctic Council of High Officials during its term of office.
As a responsible member of the international community, Korea will continue to strengthen Arctic cooperation with Arctic states while actively participating in the international community’s efforts to address major Arctic issues such as climate change.
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