1. On September 28, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with a delegation from the Japan-Korea Cultural Foundation, which has made efforts to boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the private sectors of the Republic of Korea and Japan. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on ways to increase youth exchanges and cooperation between the two countries on public diplomacy.

2. Minister Yun, calling the 50th anniversary in 2015 of the normalization of the bilateral diplomatic relations a milestone in the development of the relationship, voiced hope that leading members of the Foundation will offer advice and play a role in efforts to move the relations forward over the next 50 years. He also commended the Foundation for its work to enhance the friendship and trust between the two countries.

° Lauding the Foundation for conducting some 1200 exchange programs, including exchanges between youths and college students and fellowships for Korean intellectuals, since its founding in 1983, the Minister asked the organization to continue work to boost private exchanges.

° President Fumio Sameshima of the Foundation stated that the organization, especially its leading members, will do its utmost to contribute greatly to advances in the ROK-Japan relations, adding that, in a bid to strengthen public diplomacy between the two countries, it will work with relevant organizations in the ROK.

3. Minister Yun’s meeting with the delegation came to seek an increase in people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation in order to achieve stable advances in the bilateral ties, as well as to bring renewed attention to the importance and the role of the private sector, as the two countries, having marked in 2015 the 50th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations, had agreed to move forward into a future of cooperation and co-prosperity between them.

° Going forward, the ROK Foreign Ministry will seek to work with the Japanese government on various public diplomacy projects, which serve as a basis for a better mutual understanding between the peoples as well as closer friendship and cooperation between the two countries.


* unofficial translation