1. At 14:30-15:00, January 10, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha met with Speaker of the parliament of the Republic of Latvia Ināra Mūrniece, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) on January 8-12, and exchanged views on the ROK-Latvia relations, situations on the Korean Peninsula and in other regions of the world, and cooperation on the international stage.

2. Minister Kang took note of the progress in bilateral substantive cooperation in 2019 and voiced hope that starting with Speaker Mūrniece’s visit to the ROK, the bilateral relations would advance further in 2020.

3. Speaker Mūrniece noted with appreciation that the two countries have stepped up substantive cooperation in various fields, including economy, people-to-people exchanges, tourism, culture, and technology exchanges, expressing hope for a continued increase in high-level exchanges.  

4. Minister Kang and Speaker Mūrniece shared the understanding that the two countries have a great potential for cooperation in areas of the 4th Industrial Revolution, including digital technology, -- an area of strength of the two countries -- and should further deepen cooperation in such fields as people-to-people and material exchanges as well as startups’ technology exchanges.

5. Minister Kang explained the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula. Speaker Mūrniece commended the ROK government’s efforts to pursue peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation, adding that continued support will be extended.