1. Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who visited Brussels after attending the Global Summit on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict in London, met on June 16 with Lowri Evans, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, and David O’Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service. They discussed issues between the ROK and the EU, including IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, as well as a range of regional and global issues.

2. In his meeting with Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Evans, Vice Minister Cho appreciated the ongoing close consultations on IUU fishing between the ROK and the EU maritime authorities. The Vice Minister also learned the EU’s assessment of the outcome of the latest consultation between the ROK and the EU maritime authorities (June 9-11, Seoul).

o Vice Minister Cho explained the measures the ROK has recently taken to eradicate IUU fishing and said that the ROK government is more determined than ever to eliminate IUU fishing. Stating that the ROK will continue to pursue systematic improvements as necessary, Vice Minister Cho requested the Director-General’s interest in resolving the issue of the EU’s possible designation of Korea as an illegal fishing country in an amicable way.

o In response, Director-General Evans noted with appreciation that the ROK and the EU maritime authorities are holding sincere dialogue, unlike in the past. She also requested that the ROK join international efforts to counter IUU fishing.

3. In his meeting with Chief Operating Officer O’Sullivan, Vice Minister Cho requested the European External Action Service in charge of the ROK-EU bilateral relations to cooperate in amicably resolving the issue of the EU’s designation of Korea as an illegal fishing country, which has emerged as a key issue between the two sides.

o Furthermore, the two sides noted that with the conclusion of the Framework Agreement and the FTA (in 2010) and the formal signing on May 23 of the “agreement between the ROK and the EU establishing a framework for the participation of the ROK in European Union crisis management operations, the ROK became the only country in the world to sign framework cooperation agreements with the EU in all three major areas of politics, economy and security.

o Concerning major global issues, Vice Minister Cho and Chief Operating Officer O’Sullivan exchanged views on a range of issues, including the situation in Northeast Asia and the North Korean nuclear issue. They agreed to expand the scope of strategic coordination between the ROK and the EU into global issues. 


                 Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation