President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged active policies to better engage overseas Koreans as he marked the launch of a state agency handling issues pertaining to the diaspora.

Presiding over an opening ceremony on Monday, Yoon said the new agency will not only protect and support overseas Koreans but also serve as a bridge that promotes exchanges and cooperation with their home country.

Referring to the overseas contingent as the nation's valuable offshore network, Yoon said a close connection among the seven-point-five million Koreans abroad that enables them to share information and experience will lead to joint growth and development for both them and their motherland.

The president promised that the agency will more thoroughly look after them, emphasizing that embracing their pain is a part of the state’s responsibility in reference to his recent meeting with the Korean victims of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing.

He also mentioned support for people of Korean descent in Japan, Central Asia and Russia, as well as those in multicultural households and adoptees.

The president said the agency will provide diverse programs to teach the Korean language to second- and third-generation Koreans abroad and extend invitations to experience Korean culture.