1. First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam visited Cambodia on March 9 and held the third meeting of the Republic of Korea-Cambodia Joint Committee with Secretary of State Long Visalo of the Cambodian Foreign Ministry. In the meeting, the Vice Minister asked the Cambodian government to pay attention to and support efforts to resolve challenges facing Korean companies operating in Cambodia. He also discussed with the Secretary of State ways to work together in pressuring North Korea, including implementing the new UN Security Council sanctions resolution on the North.

2. The Vice Minister and the Secretary of State noted with appreciation that the two countries have been maintaining close cooperative ties across the board, including political affairs, economy, trade and development, as well as on such multilateral stages as ASEAN. They agreed to continue efforts to further step up communication and cooperation between the two countries.

3. Vice Minister Lim asked the Cambodian government to cooperate in efforts to resolve challenges facing Korean companies operating in Cambodia in order to further boost their investment in the country. Secretary Visalo, agreeing on the need to promote bilateral cooperation on investment, stated that the Cambodian government will seek to resolve such challenges through interagency consultations.

4. Vice Minister Lim explained the ROK government’s position on North Korea’s repeated provocations, including its fourth nuclear test and launch of a long-range missile, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2270 adopted on March 2 in response to those provocations. He asked for the Cambodian government’s cooperation in thoroughly implementing the Security Council resolution and thereby completely preventing North Korea from obtaining funds and technology for the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

° In response, Secretary Visalo, highlighting the Cambodian government’s principle of non-tolerance for a nuclear North Korea, mentioned that the Cambodian government will cooperate for the thorough implementation of the UN Security Council sanctions resolution on North Korea.

3. The ROK-Cambodia Joint Committee meeting on March 9 marked the first high-level meeting between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries in six years since the second Joint Committee meeting in 2010. It is seen to have served as an opportunity to review the progress in the follow-up measures to the bilateral summit talks held in December 2014 as well as key bilateral issues; and to step up cooperation between the ROK and Cambodia, the Country Coordinator for ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations, to pressure North Korea in response to North Korea’s recent provocations.


* unofficial translation