Minister Kang Kyung-wha Talks with New Zealand Foreign Minister... Minister Peters Congratulates on Successful General Election Amid COVID-19 Situation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the morning of the 16th, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a phone call at the request of Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, to discuss cooperation measures in response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Minister Kang explained that as a result of the Korean government's proactive and aggressive quarantine measures, the COVID-19 situation in Korea has recently improved, but considering recent cases of reinfection among some recovered patients, efforts such as stringent social distancing are being continuously maintained to completely end the COVID-19 crisis.

In response, Minister Peters congratulated Korea on successfully holding the general election despite the COVID-19 outbreak and evaluated that the Korean government's response to COVID-19 is a model for the international community, expressing hope that the two countries will closely cooperate in the field of quarantine. Minister Kang agreed on the importance of international solidarity for COVID-19 response and emphasized that Korea will actively share its COVID-19 response experiences with the international community.

Furthermore, Minister Peters expressed gratitude for the Korean government's support in facilitating the return of New Zealand nationals in Korea and stated that the New Zealand side will also actively cooperate to ensure the smooth return of Korean nationals. In response, Minister Kang expressed appreciation for the New Zealand government's cooperation in enabling the safe return of about 700 Korean nationals in New Zealand and requested cooperation and support to ensure that other scheduled flights operate without disruption.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The two ministers agreed to continue close communication between diplomatic authorities to enhance cooperation in COVID-19 response and to promote friendly and cooperative relations."

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