1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, during his visit to New York to attend the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, bilaterally met with his Chilean counterpart Alfredo Moreno on September 26 to discuss ways to promote the relations between the Republic of Korea and Chile.

2. Minister Yun took note of the remarkable expansion of and advances in the ROK-Chile relations since the entry of the bilateral FTA into force and the establishment of a comprehensive partnership in 2004. He voiced his hope that the two countries, by building upon such achievements, will see further advances of bilateral ties in various fields, including economy, trade, resources, energy and people-to-people exchanges, as well as on regional and global stages.

º Minister Moreno agreed to Minister Yun’s views and mentioned that the ROK, as Chile’s first FTA partner in Asia, and Chile, as the ROK’s first-ever FTA partner, have maintained close ties with each other in a wide range of fields.

3. The two Ministers noted with appreciation that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has expanded since the entry of the bilateral FTA into force in 2004, as demonstrated by Chilean wine and Korean cars recording the largest market shares in the respective sectors in each other’s country and by the 4.6-fold increase in the two-way trade volume. The two sides agreed to continue promoting substantive cooperation in a mutually beneficial manner.

4. Minister Yun asked the Chilean government to pay attention to and support Korean companies’ bids to expand their presence in the Chilean sectors of mineral resources, new renewable energy and infrastructure construction (electricity infrastructure, bridges, etc.). Minister Moreno hailed Korean companies’ interest in Chile as their investment destination and expressed hope for Korean companies’ participation in projects involving energy (solar, gas, etc.), mining development and supply of mining industrial water, which are pursued by the Chilean government.

5. Minister Yun proposed that the two countries conclude a bilateral working holiday agreement at an early date in a bid to boost exchanges between the younger generations of the two countries. Minister Moreno expressed consent on the need for the agreement and agreed to work actively toward it.

6. Minister Yun elaborated on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as the new ROK government’s trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula and asked the Chilean government to continue supporting the ROK’s position on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and on the international stage.

º Minister Yun stressed that two countries should boost high-level exchanges in order to promote bilateral relations. He asked for the Chilean government’s cooperation in sending a high-ranking official to Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 this October.

º The two Ministers agreed to maintain close cooperation at the UN and other international organizations as well as at regional cooperation bodies, including the Pacific Alliance.

7. In the ROK-Chile Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the first of its kind since the launch of the Park Geun-hye government, the two sides shared their view on the need to promote bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed their willingness to do so in various sectors. As such, the meeting served as a significant opportunity for the two countries to step up their substantive cooperation. 


                         Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation