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The 41st APEC Automotive Dialogue opened on Jeju Island
With the participation of over 14 countries including Chile, China, Japan
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The 41st APEC Automotive Dialogue (AD) opened on May 9–10 at the International Convention Center Jeju (ICC Jeju) on the sidelines of the APEC Second Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM2), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced. The APEC AD is a public-private forum for the sharing of major policy issues and industrial trends among APEC members’ governments and auto industries to seek measures for cooperation. Launched in 1999, it serves as APEC’s major communication channel on diverse automotive areas spanning electric mobility, autonomous driving, and trade. As Korea is the chair of APEC 2025, MOTIE and the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) are co-chairs of this year’s AD, held with the participation of over 14 countries including Chile, China, Japan, and the U.S. Key agendas address automobile industry and market trends, EV transition, autonomous driving and AI technology, and future mobility. During the event, Korea will present on core issues with regard to future mobility transition including EV architecture innovation, battery recycling, hydrogen mobility and fuel cell technology, and purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). It is anticipated that the discussions will strengthen cooperation among member countries and facilitate exchanges on industrial technologies and policy trends.
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Thai Amb. Sangrat lends support to Cheongju Airport runway construction
Joins 1 million signature petition relay campaign
UNJournal Jon Lee | Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat has joined a 1 million-signature relay campaign calling for the construction of a private runway at Cheongju International Airport. Chungcheongbuk-do province announced on May 7 that Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat has become the first foreign ambassador to sign a petition calling for the construction of a dedicated runway for civilian aircraft at Cheongju International Airport. “The lack of flights is the biggest obstacle to expanding people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” said Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat, adding, ”I strongly support the construction of a private runway at Cheongju Airport, which will be a driving force for expanding exchange and cooperation between the two countries.” The province and Thailand's Bangkok city and Chiang Mai province signed a letter of intent for friendly exchanges between the two regions in September last year. The province plans to collect signatures from residents calling for the construction of a private runway at Cheongju Airport by June and deliver the signatures to the government and political circles in July. The province aims to secure 1 million signatures, centered on four cities and provinces in the Chungcheong region, the main user area of Cheongju Airport. The province argues that a new private runway is necessary to accommodate passenger traffic, which is growing at an average annual rate of 12.1 percent, and to prepare for future aviation demand. There is also a need to develop Cheongju Airport as an aviation logistics hub in a saturated market where 99.5 percent of domestic aviation logistics is handled at Incheon International Airport.
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UN Secretary-General Guterres demands better protection for journalists
May 2 marks World Press Freedom Day
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo May 2 marks World Press Freedom Day and UN Secretary-General António Guterres is highlighting an uptick in violence faced by journalists covering environmental issues, which has made the profession increasingly dangerous, the UN News reported. The UN chief said journalists and media professionals “have a key role in informing and educating” the public about the world’s current environmental and climate emergency which stands as a threat to future generations. It is through this work that people can have a greater understanding of environmental factors affecting the world and advocate for change, he said. However, based on recent UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports, journalists, especially environmental journalists, face violent attacks and even death for simply doing their job. “Dozens of journalists covering illegal mining, logging, poaching and other environmental issues have been killed in recent decades,” Mr. Guterres said. But, “in the vast majority of cases, no one has been held to account.” UNESCO’s report analysed the violence environmental journalists face. The report found that journalists and news outlets reporting on environmental issues dealt with about 750 attacks in the past 15 years, the Secretary-General said. In an interview with UN News, Guilherme Canela, UNESCO’s chief of freedom of expression and safety of journalists, said the report found that 70 per cent of journalists doing environmental reporting dealt with at least one form of violence, and a quarter of the surveyed reporters dealt with legal attacks. Additionally, Mr. Canela said that over the past 50 years, 44 journalists covering environmental stories were killed. He said it is important to remember that journalists are important observers of conflict zones and that they provide lifesaving information for civilian populations affected by these conflicts. “UNESCO is sounding the alarm that we need to take care of the protection of those journalists covering environmental issues," he said, "because raising that awareness about what's going on in the environment and holding powerful actors accountable is absolutely essential to face the current environmental challenges that the planet is having.” In a statement for World Press Freedom Day, Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said losing a journalist means losing a human rights defender, and that the world needs “independent, ethical and quality journalism perhaps now more than ever”. Mr. Türk said journalists – emphasising environmental reporters – need “stronger commitments from their governments and their employers to protect them”, safer work environments and the right to work without attacks. The Secretary-General also recognised journalists’ “invaluable” work and their efforts to keep the public informed and engaged. The UN chief called on governments, the private sector and civil societies to recommit to protecting press freedom and the rights of journalists and media professionals globally. “Without press freedom, we won't have any freedom,” he said. “A free press is not a choice, but a necessity.”
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