1. On February 22, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with her Finnish counterpart Timo Soini, who is on a visit to the Republic of Korea for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, and discussed the relations between the ROK and Finland, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and global issues.

2. Minister Kang expressed appreciation for the Finnish government’s special interest and participation to ensure the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, citing Prime Minister Sipila’s visit to the ROK, followed by Foreign Minister Soini’s visit to the ROK.

3. The two Ministers took note that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, the ROK and Finland have developed close, friendly and cooperative relations in a range of areas, including foreign affairs, security, economic and trade affairs, and the science and technology sector. They agreed to further step up cooperation in various areas, including people-to-people exchanges, the defense industry, Arctic development, and cyber security, based on their shared values, such as democracy, free trade and multilateralism.

4. Minister Kang explained the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and the latest inter-Korean talks, and asked the international community, including Finland, for continued interest and cooperation to make sure that the momentum for inter-Korean talks created during the Olympics leads to denuclearization talks.

o Minister Soini agreed on the importance of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and expressed active support for the ROK government’s North Korea policy.

5. In addition, the two Ministers exchanged in-depth views on ways to work together on the global stage, including mutual support regarding elections at international organizations, as well as the situation in Ukraine.

6. The ROK-Finland Foreign Ministers’ meeting served as an opportunity to discuss ways to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two countries, marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year, and to reaffirm their cooperation on North Korea policy to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

* unofficial translation