1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with Deputy Secretary-General for the European External Action Service Maciej Popowski on October 16, who is visiting the ROK to attend the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013. Foreign Minister Yun also met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague on October 17 and discussed the ongoing preparations for summit diplomacy during President Park Geun-hye’s trip to Europe next month.

2. In his meeting with Deputy Secretary-General Popowski, Minister Yun said that with this year marking the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and the EU, he expects President Park’s visit to the EU to become a new milestone in bilateral relations.

o The two sides expected that the seventh ROK-EU Summit to be held during President Park’s upcoming trip will set the direction for bilateral cooperation for the next four to five years and present future visions. They decided to continue to work together so that a ROK-EU joint statement containing the aforementioned issues can be announced on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of establishment of the ROK-EU diplomatic relations.

o Furthermore, Minister Yun noted that the ROK and the EU have expanded their cooperation to the area of security mainly through a maritime capacity-building mission in the Horn of Africa to counter piracy off Somalia (EUCAP Nestor). Minister Yun offered to jointly respond to global threats as strategic partners which share the universal values of mankind, such as human rights and democracy.

3. In his meeting with the British Foreign Secretary, Minister Yun expressed his appreciation for Britain to invite President Park to pay a state visit on this meaningful occasion of the 130th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and the UK. Minister Yun said that this invitation reflects the importance of the relations between the two countries.

o In particular, during President Park’s state visit, a ground-breaking ceremony for a Korean War veterans memorial will take place. Minister Yun said that the UK dispatched the second largest forces to the ROK during the Korean War and he is pleased that the ROK’s efforts to build a Korean War veterans memorial in the country’s capital of London have finally borne fruit on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. Minister Yun offered to closely cooperate for President Park’s state visit to serve as an opportunity for the two countries to take a leap forward in their relations.

o Minister Yun expressed his appreciation for Britain’s support for and confidence in the ROK government’s Trust-Building Process on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative. Minister Yun asked Britain to continue to play a leading role in global efforts to induce North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program and become a responsible member of the international community. 


                       Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation