1. On September 29, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil of Mongolia, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea on September 29-30. In their meeting, the two top diplomats exchanged views on ways to step up substantive cooperation between the ROK and Mongolia; the situation on the Korean Peninsula; and ways to work together on regional and global stages.

2. The two Ministers, taking note of the reciprocal visits by the Presidents of the two countries in 2016 and other remarkable advances in the bilateral relations across the board, including economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, agreed to work closely together to take the relations a notch higher.

3. Minister Yun, underscoring the need before anything else to thoroughly implement the measures agreed upon at the latest bilateral summit talks, took note of the launch in September of a joint feasibility study on the proposed bilateral economic partnership agreement. In addition, he asked the Mongolian government to render active support with regard to setting up a channel for regular dialogue between foreign policy think tanks of the two countries; Korean companies’ participation in infrastructure projects in Mongolia; protecting the Koreans in Mongolia; and increasing flights between the two countries.

° Minister Munkh-Orgil shared Minister Yun’s view that the two countries should increase substantive cooperation mainly by implementing the measures agreed upon at the latest bilateral summit meeting; extended appreciation to the ROK over the smooth progress of bilateral development cooperation projects; and voiced hope for an active participation of Korean companies in infrastructure construction projects in Mongolia.

4. Minister Yun emphasized that North Korea is repeatedly engaging in provocations, including the two nuclear tests in 2016 alone and launches of various types of ballistic missiles, in flagrant disregard of the international community’s united commitment to not tolerate a nuclear North Korea; extended appreciation to the Mongolian government for faithfully implementing Security Council resolutions; and expressed hope for continued cooperation between the ROK and Mongolia in order to make progress on the North Korean nuclear issue through tough sanctions and pressure on North Korea, including under Security Council resolutions.

° Minister Munkh-Orgil stressed that the Mongolian government is fully implementing Security Council resolutions with the principle of denuclearization in mind, adding that it will work, in close cooperation with the ROK government, toward the denuclearization of North Korea.

5. Minister Munkh-Orgil’s visit to the ROK, which came as part of his first overseas tour since the launch of the new Mongolian government in July 2016, is seen to have served as an opportunity to continue strengthening the ROK-Mongolia cooperative ties that had been upgraded by the reciprocal visits by their Presidents in 2016 and seek substantial progress in the bilateral “comprehensive partnership.”


* unofficial translation