1. On the afternoon of October 7, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) for a Warsaw Process Working Group Meeting on Cybersecurity. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the ROK-Poland relations, issues of substantive cooperation, cooperation on the international stage, and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe.

2. The two Ministers welcomed the active high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the summit held in September on the occasion of the 74th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the three foreign ministerial meetings this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the ROK-Poland diplomatic relations. They agreed to further strengthen strategic partnership on the basis of such exchanges.

3. The two Ministers took note of increasingly robust economic exchanges between the two countries, as could be seen from the two-way trade volume having reached 5 billion USD in 2018 for the first time. Minister Kang asked for Poland’s attention to ensure that Korean enterprises’ investment in Poland continues to grow with Poland’s assistance.

° Minister Kang went on to express hope for Korean companies’ presence in large-scale state-run projects of Poland, including the construction of nuclear power plants and a new airport, and suggested that the two countries further step up cooperation on the defense industry.

° Minister Czaputowicz, extending appreciation to Korean enterprises for their active investment in Poland, voiced hope that Korean companies, equipped with high technology and experiences, would take part in Poland’s large-scale state-funded projects, such as the construction of a new airport in Warsaw, and also hoped that Poland’s agricultural and food exports would increase.

° Minister Kang also asked for Poland’s attention to the ROK government’s position in the process of the European Union’s review of its definitive safeguard measures on certain steel products.

4. The two sides noted with appreciation that bilateral cooperation on air services is strengthening, as could be seen from the completion of the domestic procedures for the entry into force of the memorandum of understanding for the revision of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Republic of Poland for Air Services.

° Minister Czaputowicz noted with pleasure the fact that direct flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines since October 2016 have helped boost people-to-people and resources exchanges between the two countries, and hoped for more active bilateral exchanges. 
 
5. The two sides voiced hope that various commemorative events for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations will help promote understanding and exchanges between people of the two countries.

6. Minister Kang explained recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and extended appreciation to Poland for its strong support for the ROK government’s efforts toward complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

° Minister Czaputowicz mentioned that Poland is paying special attention to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and, in particular, will work closely with the ROK as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2018-2019. 

7. The two Ministers also exchanged views on the situation in Europe and key international issues.

8. The third ROK-Poland Foreign Ministers’ meeting in 2019 is seen to have served as a good opportunity to discuss ways to further advance the relations between the two countries that mark the 30th anniversary this year.