Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his comprehensive report on his visit to South Korea. South Korea is the world's 12th largest economy and the fourth largest economy in Asia. His visit, along with three other Ministers, as part of a Team Ireland trade mission was important for establishing new trade and education links between our countries. Last month, the Tánaiste launched Ireland's updated strategy, Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025. The trade mission was timely in that context.

The Taoiseach discussed security issues and the importance of peacekeeping and multilateralism with the President of South Korea. That Taoiseach visited the demilitarised zone between North Korea and South Korea. Following his discussions, what is his assessment of the threat posed to international peace and security by North Korea? North Korea possesses nuclear warheads and President Kim Jong Un is quite fond of testing long-range missiles. He is also a fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin. What is the position of South Korea with regard to the war in Ukraine? It is a fact that much of the world is not as exercised about this as are the EU and the US.

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