1. On March 13, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with former President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea to attend the “Yonsei-Kim Dae-jung Forum on the World's Future.” In their meeting, the Minister and the former President exchanged views on regional situations, including those on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, as well as such global issues as the envisioned reform of the UN.

2. Minister Yun lauded former President Ahtisaari for his contributions to bringing peace to regions in conflict. He also extend appreciation to the former President for laying a solid foundation for the ROK-Finland cooperation during his service as President, which facilitated meaningful advances in bilateral ties.

3. With regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Minister Yun noted that with the year 2015 marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from the Japanese colonial rule and division, the ROK government is making continued efforts to lay the groundwork to usher in the era of the unification on the Peninsula and improve its relations with North Korea to that end. Former President Ahtisaari, commending the ROK government’s efforts to hold dialogue with North Korea, expressed willingness to play a role as a member of The Elders group in maintaining peace on the Peninsula.

◦ The former Finnish President expressed consent on the urgent need to resume inter-Korean dialogue in order to resolve as soon as possible such humanitarian issues as that involving reunions of families separated during Korean War. Furthermore, he took note of the ROK government’s efforts to promote stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, including through it Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.

4. With the year 2015 marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN, Minister Yun took note of The Elders group’s active efforts toward UN reform, including proposing realistic ways to expand the UN Security Council as well as improving the Council’s method of operation. He added that the ROK government hopes to work with The Elders in discussing the envisioned reform of the UN Security Council. 


            Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation