1. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hyoung-zhin, together with his counterparts from the member states of the Visegrad Group (V4) -- the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia -- held the third Republic of Korea-V4 meeting of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs and a working luncheon on June 14. In the meeting, the two sides discussed in depth ways for the ROK-V4 cooperation as well as bilateral coordination on North Korea and its nuclear issue; situations in such regions as Europe and the Middle East; and global issues.

2. The two sides reviewed the progress in the follow-up to the first-ever bilateral summit talks held in Prague, the Czech Republic, in December 2015 and agreed to continue close dialogue in a bid to advance the comprehensive cooperative ties between the ROK and the V4.

° The two sides agreed to work together for a steady increase in bilateral trade and investment on the back of the ROK-EU FTA, which marks its fifth anniversary of the entry into force in 2016; and to diversify the sectors for cooperation to include cooperation between small- and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries, energy, infrastructure, science, technology and culture. To that end, they agreed to positively consider holding energy dialogue and high-level meetings on infrastructure.

° The two sides noted with appreciation that the smooth progress in the Western Balkan assistance project, which was conducted by the International Visegrad Fund (IVF) in December 2014 with the financial support of 336,000 euros from the ROK government, played a role in the Western Balkan efforts to build social capability. They agreed to continue consultations on ways to maintain the ROK-IVF cooperation in place.

3. With regard to North Korean issues, Deputy Minister Kim explained the full range of the recent developments in North Korea, including its insincere offer for inter-Korean talks and its human rights situation. He extended appreciation to the V4 for its role in the EU’s adoption of the unprecedentedly tough unilateral sanctions on North Korea. He asked for the V4’s continued attention to and cooperation on efforts to thoroughly implement UN Security Council resolutions and the EU’s unilateral sanctions; improve the human rights situation in North Korea; and achieve a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

° In response, the V4 side expressed a firm opposition to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and all-out support for the ROK government’s efforts to resolve the issue.

° The two sides agreed to continue holding the bilateral seminar in which to share their experiences in regime change, which has been taking place on an annual basis since 2014.

4. The two sides engaged in an extensive exchange of views on regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine, refugees and other European issues, as well as the situations in the Balkans and the Middle East, and agreed to continue dialogue.

5. The ROK-V4 meeting on June 14 is seen to have served as an opportunity to enhance the friendship and cooperation between ROK and the V4, member states of the EU and NATO that have achieved successful regime changes, as well as to solidify the ROK’s foundation for middle power diplomacy on the regional and global levels.


* unofficial translation