1. On May 28, the Foreign Ministry held the launching ceremony of a task force formed to seek ways that the Republic of Korea and Japan can work together to increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges and to promote the friendship between their peoples. The task force is comprised of nine members -- its head, professor Lee Hoon of the School of Tourism at Hanyang University, and other civilians with expertise in such areas as culture, tourism, Hallyu (Korean Wave) and public diplomacy, as well as Foreign Ministry officials.

° The task force was launched as the two countries, at the bilateral foreign ministerial meetings in Washington on March 17 and in Seoul on April 11, had agreed on the need to increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges as a way to achieve future-oriented advances in the relations between the two countries that mark in 2018 the 20^th anniversary of the adoption of the joint declaration by former President Kim Dae-jung and former Prime Minister Obuchi.

2. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha presented letters of appointment to the task force members, expressing hope that as the year 2018 marks the 20^th anniversary of the aforementioned declaration, a milestone toward a closer ROK-Japan relations, the group will draw up ways to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and thereby will help to strengthen the friendship between their peoples.

° In particular, Minister Kang asked the task force, which includes civilians from various sectors and organizations, including the academia, broadcasters, entertainment agencies, to explore original and practical ways to that end.

3. After the letters of appointment were presented to its members, the task force held its inaugural meeting, chaired by its head Lee Hoon and covering ways to operate the task force and its future plans.

° The task force will be in operation for about two months, laying out recommendations on how to invigorate cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the ROK and Japan.

* unofficial translation