1. Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam met with President Evgeny Bazhanov of the Russian Diplomatic Academy on November 16, during which the two sides exchanged views on such matters as the Republic of Korea-Russia relations and the North Korean nuclear issue.

2. Vice Minister Lim brought attention to the fact that the ROK government attaches significance to its relations with Russia; and citing the two rounds of bilateral summit talks and reciprocal visits by parliament speakers of the two countries since the launch of the new ROK government, took note of robust high-level exchanges between the two countries.

° President Bazhanov, sharing with the Vice Minister that the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Russian Diplomatic Academy had signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation the day before, November 15, pointed out that cooperation between the two organizations is contributing to the advancement of the ROK-Russia relations.

3. Vice Minister Lim extended appreciation to the Russian government for its various efforts to alleviate tensions and achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula under the firm principle of zero tolerance for a nuclear North Korea; and suggested that the Russian government continue cooperation with the ROK government in inducing the North to come forward for dialogue as soon as possible.

° President Bazhanov, reiterating Russia’s steadfast position calling for zero tolerance for a nuclear North Korea, mentioned that as North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons can lead Japan and Southeast Asian countries to seek nuclear development, stern measures need to be taken in response.

4. Vice Minister Lim extended congratulations to the President on the publication of the Korean-language version of his memoirs about his late wife, a Korean Peninsula expert. The President expressed gratitude to the Vice Minister for his congratulations by presenting him with a copy of the book.

※ President Bazhanov’s wife, Dr. Natalia Bazhanova, wrote a number of books and academic papers on the ROK and North Korea throughout her life. During the Soviet Union era, when the Soviet government endorsed North Korea as the only state on the Korean Peninsula, Dr. Natalia Bazhanova argued that “the ROK should be recognized as a sovereign state,” paving the way for the establishment of the ROK-Russia diplomatic relations in 1990.

* unofficial translation