Korea’s first lady calls to empower children through digital education at Melania Trump's event
First lady Kim Hea Kyung urged global cooperation to expand safe digital education for children at Melania Trump’s "Fostering the Future Together" luncheon in New York.
Korea’s first lady Kim Hea Kyung, middle row, third from right, poses for a commemorative photo with U.S. first lady Melania Trump, center, and other spouses of world leaders at a "Fostering the Future Together" coalition event in New York on Sept. 22. The coalition aims to increase children's access to education technology while promoting online safety.
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NEW YORK — First lady Kim Hea Kyung shared the importance of empowering children through digital technology at a “Fostering the Future Together” luncheon hosted by U.S. first lady Melania Trump on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
The U.S.-led Fostering the Future Together is a global coalition of spouses of heads of state aimed at empowering children through technology, innovation and education.
"The challenges of digital transformation cannot be resolved through the efforts of any single nation alone,” Kim was quoted as saying by Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy Blue House spokesperson.
Kim emphasized the need for international cooperation on this issue, Ahn said, and highlighted Korea's ongoing efforts to implement digital education that expands learning opportunities while ensuring the safety of children.
“The coalition has grown rapidly based on the shared understanding that advancements in digital technology must lead to a better future for our children,” Kim told first lady Trump.
Kim was visiting New York as part of a weeklong trip alongside President Lee Jae Myung to the United States and Mexico.
“Together, we are a beautiful range of cultures, languages, histories and traditions,” Melania Trump said. “And yet, we stand unified around one everlasting truth: The future of our world will be determined by what we do for our children today.”
The event was also attended by representatives from Britain, the Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Panama, Canada and other nations, according to the White House. Tim Cook, executive chairman of Apple, and Enrique Lores, CEO of PayPal, also attended.
Spouses of heads of state from nearly 60 countries participate in the coalition, partnered with global tech companies such as Meta, Google and OpenAI.
The coalition was launched during the 80th UN General Assembly in September last year. The Korean government decided to join the coalition following the summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump in October of last year.
At the luncheon, Kim exchanged views with the spouses of world leaders on the direction of education in the digital age and the safe use of technology, Ahn said.
At the event, Melania Trump announced new private-sector technology partnerships with Adobe, Amazon, Intel, Starlink, Google and Zoom, the White House said in a statement.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
