1. On the sidelines of the ASEAN-related foreign ministerial meetings 2016 in Vientiane, Laos, from July 24 to 26, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met bilaterally with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore on July 25. In their meeting, the two top diplomats exchanged views on matters of mutual concern, including the Republic of Korea-Singapore relations across the board, ways to step up substantive cooperation in such sectors as infrastructure, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers took note of the progress in close cooperation between their two countries across the board, including political affairs, economy and trade, as well on the international stage, calling the meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of the recent ASEM Summit a significant opportunity to review the progress in the bilateral substantive cooperation.

3. Minister Yun, bringing attention to the active participation of Korean companies in major infrastructure-building projects in Singapore, asked for the Singaporean government’s attention to and support for bids of Korean companies to take part in the project to build a high-speed rail system between Singapore and Malaysia, once the project begins in earnest.

4. Minister Balakrishnan, speaking of the situation in the South China Sea in the wake of the arbitration ruling on July 12, mentioned that China and ASEAN had agreed on the “Joint Statement of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States and China on the Full and Effective Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.”

5. Minister Yun extended appreciation to Singapore for its active participation in the international community’s efforts to sanction and pressure North Korea, including by promptly issuing a statement on the heels of North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and launch of a long-range ballistic missile as well as by thoroughly implementing Security Council resolutions.

° Minister Yun asked the Singaporean government to cooperate for the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit to send a clear message to North Korea.

° In response, Minister Balakrishnan mentioned that Singapore shares the view that it is necessary amid North Korea’s repeated provocations for the international to send a united message to the North, adding that the Singaporean government will cooperate actively in the thorough implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.


* unofficial translation