1. During her visit to the Kingdom of Thailand for ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) on July 31. In the meeting, the two Ministers discussed the ROK-Lao PDR relations, the ASEAN-ROK and Mekong-ROK cooperation, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers noted with appreciation that with the next year marking the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have developed friendly and cooperative relations in various areas including political and economic affairs as well as people-to-people exchanges, and agreed to deepen and expand cooperation through active high-level official exchanges between the two countries.

○ In particular, the two Ministers agreed that the Lao PDR has huge potentials for development as a country through which the longest part of Mekong River flows among neighboring countries and also which serves as a bridge that connects inland areas as it is situated at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula. In addition, they agreed to continue efforts to build a mutually prosperous community by reinforcing cooperation for connectivity.

○ Minister Saleumxay expressed appreciation that the ROK has contributed to improving the quality of life of the Lao PDR nationals through development cooperation in a range of fields including water resources control, agriculture and rural development, as well as health and medical care. The two Ministers decided to work closely together in such areas in order to achieve a people-centered community in the future.

3. Minister Kang stressed that the ROK government is in full gear to draw substantive outcome and to prepare for a variety of events in order to hold a successful ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the 1st Mekong-ROK Summit which will take place in Busan this November, and explained that the ROK government will consult closely with ASEAN, including the Lao PDR.

○ Minister Saleumxay expressed support for the New Southern Policy of the ROK government, and particularly mentioned that the first Mekong-ROK summit-level meeting is expected to serve as a significant momentum for enhancing cooperation between the ROK and Mekong countries.
 
4. In the meeting, Minister Kang explained the ROK’s efforts to make progress in the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula such as the ROK-the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)-the United States (U.S.) meeting, and asked for ASEAN’s continued cooperation and support for the ROK government’s policy toward complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

○ Minister Saleumxay said that the Lao government will continue to support the ROK government’s efforts to make progress on the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

- In response to Minister Kang’s explanation that Japan’s recent retaliatory export restrictive measures against the ROK undermine free trade norms as well as regional co-prosperity and that the ROK is making diplomatic efforts for the withdrawal of the measure, Minister Saleumxay agreed on the importance of free trade order in the region and a smooth resolution of the problem.