By UN Journal Kayla Lee

Korean Ambassador for Climate Change Chung Kee-yong attended the 3rd UN Ocean Conference held in Nice, France from June 9 to 13 (local time) as the alternate chief representative and emphasized the Korean government's policy of linking climate and ocean issues and its willingness to cooperate internationally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on June 15.

The 3rd UN Ocean Conference was held under the theme of “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.” Approximately 15,000 people, including heads of state from 75 countries, attended the conference.

On June 10, Ambassador Chung attended a high-level meeting in preparation for the additional intergovernmental negotiation committee for the UN Plastic Treaty scheduled for August this year. On June 11, he participated as a speaker at a side event on marine plastic pollution.

He emphasized that “it is important to bridge the data gap in order to establish effective policies based on scientific evidence, and that balancing science and reality is key to achieving a feasible agreement.”

Ambassador Chung also participated as a speaker at a side event on the protection and research cooperation of the Central Arctic Ocean on June 11. At this event, he reiterated that the Arctic Ocean is a common heritage of the Earth, and that the Arctic, the high seas, and the deep sea floor are all closely connected, and damage to one area could pose a serious threat to the global balance.

On June 12, he participated as a panelist in the official session of the conference, the Marine Action Panel discussion on the topic of “Marine, Climate, and Biodiversity Linkages,” explaining the interconnectivity between marine and climate crises.