Minister Kang Kyung-wha Discusses 'COVID-19 Response and Korean Peninsula Situation' with Ambassadors from 25 EU Member States

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is delivering a greeting at the 'Ministry of Foreign Affairs New Employee Welcome Ceremony' held on the 10th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a dinner with ambassadors from European Union (EU) member countries to discuss ways to enhance cooperation on various diplomatic issues, including the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Northeast Asian affairs.

On the 31st, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that at the dinner meeting with the EU delegation in Korea and ambassadors from 25 EU member countries the previous day, Minister Kang exchanged views on ▲ the development of Korea-EU relations after the United Kingdom's EU withdrawal (Brexit) ▲ cooperation related to hosting the 2nd P4G Summit in Seoul ▲ the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia ▲ and responses to the novel coronavirus.

In her opening remarks at the meeting, Minister Kang said, "Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1963, Korea and the EU have developed cooperation, and I hope that this year as well, through active exchanges of high-level officials, we will continue close communication and cooperation." She added, "I hope to further strengthen cooperation with the EU on important diplomatic issues such as the 'Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G)' Summit and Brexit."

Minister Kang explained the Korean government's all-out efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and expressed hope to maintain close communication and cooperation with the EU diplomatic corps.

She also expressed hope that Korea and the EU will jointly take a leading role in responding to climate change as the implementation of the Paris Agreement accelerates this year, and requested active interest and support from the EU for the successful hosting of the 2nd P4G Summit in June.

In response, Michael Reiterer, the EU Ambassador to Korea, evaluated that "Korea and the EU, sharing universal values, are deepening their strategic partnership across comprehensive fields based on three core agreements," reaffirming the EU's support for the Korean government's efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula. The three core agreements are the Framework Agreement, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and the Framework Agreement on Participation in Crisis Management Activities. Ambassador Reiterer added, "I hope Korea and the EU will continue to expand cooperation in areas such as climate change and connectivity."

Kim Il-jae, Acting Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, who also attended the meeting, introduced the Korean government's efforts on personal information protection, including the recent passage of the Personal Information Protection Act amendment in the National Assembly, and requested special support and cooperation from the EU to accelerate the ongoing Korea-EU 'EU Personal Data Protection Adequacy Assessment (GDPR) discussions.'

Additionally, Minister Kang shared and explained the current status and related Korean policies on ▲ recent assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and prospects for North Korea-US dialogue ▲ the Korean government's contributions to international issues such as climate change and development cooperation ▲ recent developments in the Middle East, including Iran ▲ and the situation in Northeast Asia, including Korea-Japan and Korea-China relations.

A Foreign Ministry official explained, "This meeting was evaluated as an opportunity to review our policy direction toward the EU and to confirm the EU's continued interest and support for the 2nd P4G Summit and our government's policy on the Korean Peninsula."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.