S. Korean minister to attend global conference on democracy

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister will attend an
international meeting on democracy to be held next weekend in Portugal, his
ministry said Friday.

Yu Myung-hwan plans to deliver a keynote speech on Seoul's contributions to the
development of democracy worldwide during the fifth ministerial meeting of the
Community of Democracies, slated for July 11-12, it said.
The Community of Democracies is an intergovernmental organization created in 2000
under the initiative of then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, aimed at
strengthening democratic norms and practices around the world.
Yu will also discuss the future direction of the initiative.
The upcoming session in Lisbon is expected to draw more than 100 representatives
from member states, including about 20 foreign minister-level officials.
This year's meeting will address how the global economic and financial crisis
have affected democratic governance.
On the sidelines of the event, Yu plans to have a bilateral meeting with Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, European Union Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighborhood Policy, according to the ministry.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)