1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun met with Ambassador of Germany to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel on the afternoon of February 4 and extensively discussed ways to advance the relations between Korea and Germany and to reinforce cooperation on response to COVID-19 as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula. 

2. Vice Minister Choi noted with appreciation that a constructive discussion was held in the video conference between the Vice Minister and the State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office in December 2020. The two sides agreed to further intensify cooperation on the bilateral level and the international stage on COVID-19 response and cooperation on climate change, among others, through continued communication at each level in 2021.

° The two sides particularly noted that the 2nd Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue had been held during the visit to Germany by Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha in August 2020 despite the COVID-19 situation, and agreed to continue further promoting bilateral cooperation on various occasions in 2021, including the 2nd Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit and the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial.

3. The two sides took note that, despite unexpected difficulties such as the emergence of modified COVID-19 strains, the Korea-Germany Arrangement to Facilitate the Movement of Essential Personnel has smoothly been enforced since January 1, 2021 as agreed in December 2020, and agreed to make concerted efforts for exchanges of business people and other essential personnel to continue between the two countries without undermining their disease prevention and control efforts.

° The two sides, also sharing the understanding that solidarity of the international community amid the COVID-19 situation is more important than ever before, agreed to seek bilateral cooperation in securing vaccines, including through the COVAX Facility.

4. Vice Minister Choi explained the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, and Ambassador Reiffenstuel reaffirmed the German government’s continued support for the efforts of the Korean government to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

5. The meeting, the first one between a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea and the ambassador of an European country to Korea in 2021, is seen to have served as an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of Korea and Germany, Korea’s top trading partner in Europe, to further strengthening their strategic cooperation.