1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited the 17th Infantry Division of the Republic of Korea Army headquartered in Incheon, west of Seoul, on February 20.

2. Minister Kang was briefed on the unit by its commanding general and commended the soldiers of the frontline military unit for their hard work in guarding a major gateway in the Yellow Sea area to the capital region and ensuring the safety of 4.3 million residents in Incheon, Bucheon and Gimpo.

3. Minister Kang and the soldiers took the opportunity to communicate with each other by asking about things they used to want to know about each other and their work. The Minister also handed over the cash gift collected from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel as a token of appreciation.

4. The Foreign Ministry uses annual visits of its Minister and Vice Ministers to frontline military units as opportunities to extend appreciation and offer encouragement to the troops committed to national defense.

* unofficial translation