1. 1st Vice Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo held the 2nd Korea-Cambodia Joint Committee Meeting with 
Long Visalo, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s Secretary of State, in Seoul on July 9.

2. Vice Foreign Minister Shin and Secretary of State Visalo focused on overall progress of cooperation 
projects, implementation of which was agreed upon in the two Korea-Cambodia Summits in June and 
October last year. They also had a broad exchange of views on the current situation of the Korean 
peninsula as well as ways for cooperation on the international stage. The main topics of the meeting 
included the following:

[Korea-Cambodia relations]

ο The two sides noted with satisfaction remarkable progress in Korea-Cambodia ties in overall fields 
over a short period of 13 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1997; and, in particular, 
reciprocal visits by the leaders of the two countries in June and October last year, which served as 
opportunities to solidify substantive cooperation and friendship between the leaders of the two countries.

[Cheonan incident]

ο The Korean delegation expressed gratitude for Cambodia’s condemnation against the provocation 
that hampers peace on the Korean peninsula and support for the Korean position in Prime Minister Hun 
Sen’s letter. The two sides agreed to continue cooperation on the international stage like the UN Security 
Council with regard to the Cheonan incident.

[Economic and trade cooperation]

ο The Korean side requested the Cambodian side curtail excessive export management fees and make 
the customs-clearance process more transparent in a bid to improve investment conditions for Korean 
firms in the country. The Cambodian delegation responded that efforts will be made to this end, while 
hoping for increased investment in the country by Korean enterprises.

[Development cooperation]

ο The Cambodian delegation extended appreciation for the Korean government’s soft loans and grant-
aid projects, which are contributing to infrastructure construction and life improvement for the Cambodian 
people. Meanwhile, the Korean side explained its plan to continue conducting aid projects linked to the 
Cambodian government’s national development strategy.

[Cooperation in consular affairs and culture]

ο While the Korean side spoke of its ongoing efforts to improve conditions of international marriages, 
including the revision of relevant laws, the Cambodian side requested the Korean government pay 
continuous attention to Cambodian immigrant women in Korea married to Korean men.

ο Expressing satisfaction with steady cultural exchanges between the two countries, the two sides 
agreed to continue such projects, including joint production of broadcast contents, as agreed at last 
year’s summit talks.

[Cooperation on the international stage]

ο Taking note of enhanced cooperation in a variety of fields since the forging of a comprehensive 
cooperative partnership between Korea and ASEAN in 2004, the two sides concurred on close 
cooperation with a view to upgrading the Korea-ASEAN ties to a strategic partnership within the 
year based on achievements made to date.

3. The 2nd Korea-Cambodia Joint Committee Meeting is seen to have provided an arena for in-depth 
discussions on ways to further bolster cooperation with Cambodia, a country with a growth potential in 
the resources, energy and agricultural sectors; and to further vitalize increasing cultural and people-to-
people exchanges.

4. Later in the day, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan met with Secretary of State Visalo for a discussion 
on issues of mutual interest, during which he requested Cambodia’s continuous cooperation on the 
multilateral stage.

                          Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation