Foreign minister discusses Korea's cooperation efforts with UNDP chief

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has discussed ways for Korea to contribute more to international development aid in a meeting with the head of the UN agency tasked with the job, his ministry said Thursday.

In the meeting Wednesday with Achim Steiner, the administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Cho said Korea is seeking to increase its contributions in education and public administration based on the country's own experience in development, the foreign ministry said in a release.

Steiner said Korea's development case offers valuable lessons to many developing nations, and expressed expectations that South Korea could take a leading role in areas like climate change, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

They agreed to continue cooperation in support for conflict-prone countries and in regions facing ongoing humanitarian crises, including Myanmar and Ukraine.

The UNDP is a UN agency focusing on helping countries overcome poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth. It has offices in more than 170 countries around the world, including its Seoul office.

Yonhap