S. Korea, ideal partner for Arctic cooperation: FM Yun

INCHEON, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is an ideal partner for cooperation in the Arctic-related projects as the country has much know-how in areas ranging from shipping to shipbuilding, the country's top diplomat said Tuesday. Hosting a dinner with some 50 diplomats and other attendees from the Arctic Council's eight member nations and 12 observer states, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se also stressed the country will continue efforts to protect the resource-rich region at the same time "As a country encompassed by seas, Korea has a strong maritime tradition," he said at the Korea Polar Research Institute in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul. "It has the know-how and experience in many fields, including shipping, shipbuilding and fisheries. I believe that this makes Korea an ideal partner for cooperation in the Arctic." In May, South Korea marked two years since joining the Council as an observer nation. The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental gathering that handles the Arctic-related issues and promotes cooperation among the member states including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The Arctic presents new economic prospects in shipping lanes, fisheries, oil and other natural resources, although any economic activity should be done without damage to the environment, Yun said. For South Korea, the Arctic is also a link in the Park Geun-hye administration's Eurasia Initiative, which aims to forge closer ties across the continent through more infrastructure building and freer trade, he said. Ahead of the dinner, the attendees toured the 7,487-ton South Korean icebreaker, Araon, at a port in Incheon, where they were briefed on the research it carries out in the Arctic and Antarctic seas.