- Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Occasion of Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting -

 Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had a bilateral meeting and luncheon with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi on Saturday, March 22, at 11:20-13:10 on the occasion of the Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan, and discussed Korea-Japan relations, North Korea and the North Korean nuclear issue, and regional and global issues.

The two Ministers noted that the bilateral foreign ministers’ meeting was held again only two months after the bilateral talks on the occasion of Foreign Minister Iwaya’s visit to Korea in January, and shared the view that the two countries should continue to strengthen their relationship. In addition, the two Ministers emphasized the importance of open-minded communication between the diplomatic authorities in order to ensure the stable management of issues between the two countries.

While reaffirming the two countries’ commitment to cooperation for the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the two Ministers agreed on the need for the two countries to put their heads together to discuss ways of cooperation in various fields in dealing with uncertainties amid a severe international situation. Based on this common understanding, the two Ministers decided to further enhance Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation on the global level.