South Korea not invited to G7 summit... Presidential Office: ”We will mainly invite African countries”

Regarding South Korea's non-invitation to the G7 summit to be held in Italy in June, the South Korean presidential office said, "Italy, which is the chair country this year, is considering hosting the summit in Africa, which is related to the immigration issue in its country.
"We understand and respect the decision to select target countries, mainly in the Mediterranean Sea," a spokesman for the South Korean presidential office said in a statement released on the evening of the 20th.
Through the “Reference Materials for G7 Invitation Issues,” “The host countries for the G7 Summit are selected based on the topics of interest of the chair country each year.
Meanwhile, the South Korean opposition party criticized the absence of South Korea on the list of invited countries for the G7 summit, saying, "G7 plus diplomacy has lost its luster."
Regarding the G7 summit, the South Korean presidential office explained, "In the cases of France in 2011, Germany in 2015, and Italy in 2017, all of the invited countries were African countries."
South Korea has been invited to the G7 Summit a total of three times since 2020. Former President Moon Jae-in was invited to the summits in 2020 and 2021, but was unable to attend the 2022 summit.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol was invited last year. The South Korean presidential office said, "Our cooperation with the G7 is not a one-off event that is only achieved through participation in summits, but is a major international issue.
"We are always willing to cooperate on the proposals," he said, adding, "This year, we have been invited to various G7 ministerial-level meetings outside the summit and are closely participating in discussions on specific topics."