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​Results of Korea-Spain Summit

October 23, 2019

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President Moon Jae-in and His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, who is making a state visit to Korea, held a summit at Cheong Wa Dae from 3:21 p.m. to 4:31 p.m. today.

 In his opening remarks, President Moon stressed the importance of promoting bilateral cooperation by saying, “Spain is pursuing the digitalization of industries through its Connected Industry 4.0 policy, and Korea is also taking a path toward innovative growth revolving around such areas as data, future cars and system semiconductors.”

In reply, King Felipe mentioned that the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism; the Secretary of State for Trade; and the Secretary of State for Tourism had accompanied him on this visit. He went on to express the hope that friendship and cooperation between Korea and Spain would be elevated to a new height as relations have become stronger than ever on cultural, economic and several other fronts.

 Importantly, the two leaders continued their close discussions on various topics, including peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as joint entries into third countries, cooperation in ICT and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the advancement of the culture and tourism industry.

 With regard to joint entries into third countries, President Moon proposed that “Since Spain is a gateway to Latin America, Europe and North Africa, and Korea is a hub of the Northeast Asian market, we should utilize the geopolitical advantages of both countries to promote economic cooperation and create a win-win outcome.”

Noting that Korea and Spain have already made significant substantive achievements with joint advances into third countries, King Felipe expressed his hope that the two countries would be able to work together to enter Africa and a variety of other countries going forward.

 The Spanish monarch also said that the two countries needed to engage in close consultations concerning various challenges, including security issues connected to 5G applications, as Korea is demonstrating its leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ICT globally.

 In reply, President Moon said, “I know that Spain has commercialized 5G services like Korea. I hope that our two countries will cooperate in key 5G-based services such as self-driving cars and smart cities as both countries have advanced ICT expertise and the related infrastructure.”

Expressing his gratitude for Spain’s consistent support for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, President Moon said he would closely communicate with the international community for compete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime going forward.

 Referring to his recent proposal at the U.N. General Assembly that Korea’s Demilitarized Zone be transformed into an international peace zone, the President said, “I hope that the DMZ will become a path of peace similar to Spain’s Camino de Santiago and that people from around the world will be able to walk it together. I am looking forward to Your Majesty joining this journey of peace.”

In response, King Felipe expressed his respect and praise for President Moon’s efforts in the Korean Peninsula peace process. He went on to say that though many difficulties may follow, peace on the Korean Peninsula is already a global issue. Then, he expressed his hope that the division could be overcome through continuous dialogue.

 Expressing his active support for President Moon’s determination to see a peace trail built in the DMZ similar to the Camino de Santiago, King Felipe said that he hopes that an end to hostile relations at the DMZ can help it become a genuine symbol of world peace.

@ Follow the link to go to the Cheong Wa Dae website