1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met separately with her counterparts from three Central American countries -- Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua -- who visited the Republic of Korea to attend the 8th Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on August 30-31, and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the new ROK government’s North Korea policy, and ways to increase bilateral substantive cooperation.

※ Foreign Ministers from the three Central American countries: △Costa Rica - Manuel Gonzalez, △Honduras - Maria Dolores Agüero, △Nicaragua - Sidharta Marin (special assistant to the President on foreign affairs, ministerial level)

2. Minister Kang stressed the need for the international community to send a consistent and united message in response to North Korea’s reckless provocations, as the North, with its continued provocations, including the ballistic missile launch on August 29, is threatening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia despite the ROK government’s ceaseless efforts to resolve the North Korean issue peacefully. She asked for continued cooperation from the governments of the three Central American countries.

o Ministers from the three Central American countries said that North Korea’s nuclear and missile development is seriously undermining global peace and security, and reaffirmed that their countries fully support the ROK government’s North Korea policy and will actively participate in the international community’s efforts to solve the North Korean nuclear problem.

3. Minister Kang and the three Ministers took note of the strong, friendly and cooperative relations between the ROK and the Central American countries that have been steadily developing since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and agreed to further expand and advance the mutually-beneficial cooperative relations in economic and trade affairs, infrastructure, development cooperation and issues that require multilateral cooperation.

o Minister Kang especially asked for the three Ministers’ interest and support to help Korean companies to expand their investment and business in various sectors, including energy and infrastructure, in Central America. She also asked countries concerned for active cooperation to ensure the early signing and entry into force of the ROK-Central America FTA.

4. The meetings marked the first high-level bilateral meetings with Central American countries since the inauguration of the new ROK government. They served to build trust and strengthen substantive cooperation in various areas with the three Central American countries. They also served as an opportunity to obtain their support for the ROK’s policy to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, thereby expanding the horizons of the ROK’s diplomacy towards Central America.


* unofficial translation