1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a meeting and a luncheon with Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 20, during which the two top diplomats reviewed the progress in the Republic of Korea-Malaysia relations and discussed a broad range of matters, including ways to step up substantive cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Minister Kang, bringing attention to the ROK government’s view of Malaysia as a highly important partner in implementing its New Southern Policy, noted with appreciation that since establishing diplomatic relations in 1960, the two countries had seen their cooperative ties strengthen across the board, including political affairs, economy and culture.

° Minister Saifuddin, sharing Minister Kang’s view, particularly voiced hope that President Moon Jae-in would pay a state visit to Malaysia in 2019.

3. The two Ministers agreed to further bolster bilateral substantive cooperation by creating synergistic effect from the ROK government’s New Southern Policy and the Malaysian government’s “Look East” policy; and to work more closely together across the board as well as on regional and multilateral levels ahead of the 60th anniversary of the ROK-Malaysia diplomatic relations and the APEC summit in Malaysia in 2020.

4. The two Ministers discussed in depth the situation on the Korean Peninsula, agreeing to communicate and cooperate closely with each other toward a complete denuclearization and a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

° Minister Saifuddin, hailing the ROK government’s efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, expressed willingness to continue rendering support to that end.

5. Later in the day, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad and relayed to him warm regards from President Moon.

° Prime Minister Mahathir expressed hope to increase substantive cooperation between the two countries mainly in high-tech industry as well as support for the ROK government’s work to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.

6. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s visit to Malaysia, the first in eight years since the one in 2010, is seen to have served as an opportunity to discuss ways to increase substantive cooperation between the two countries and thereby to accelerate the ROK government’s work to implement its New Southern Policy.

* unofficial translation