1. First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun held the ROK-Germany High-Level Policy Consultation with German Foreign Office State Secretary Dr. Emily Haber at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on October 31.

2. The consultation was held to mark the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 50th anniversary of the dispatch of Korean immigrant miners to Germany. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged a wide range of views on various issues of mutual concern, including ways to promote substantive cooperation between the two countries, the situations in the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, Europe and other regions, and major global issues such as Syria and Iran.

3. The two sides noted that the two countries reaffirmed their solid, friendly and cooperative relations at the summit between President Park Geun-hye and Chancellor Angela Merkel held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg in September. The two sides also agreed to promote substantive cooperation in the areas of SMEs, vocational training and new and renewable energy based on the bond and similarities between the two countries.

4. On the Korean Peninsula issue, Vice Minister Kim expressed appreciation to the German government for continuously supporting the ROK government’s position and leading the EU’s constructive role. Vice Minister Kim also explained the ROK government’s Trust-Building Process on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative. State Secretary Haber took note of the ROK government’s policy to establish peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

o The two sides shared the view that the experiences of German unification and European integration can be a good model for maintaining sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula and creating circumstances conductive to cooperation in Northeast Asia.


              Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation