1. On September 13, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam met with Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Simon McDonald, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK-UK relations and major international issues.

2. The two sides took note of robust high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the bilateral summit talks on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly session in September 2017, the fourth foreign ministerial strategic dialogue in London in July and the visit to the ROK by Permanent Under Secretary McDonald; and agreed to work more closely together on the bilateral, regional and global levels in an effort to deepen and advance the bilateral relations.

° In particular, the two sides drew a common understanding that it is important to continuously enhance friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries, including in the fields of trade and investment, even after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU; and agreed to work closely together to that end.

3. Vice Minister Lim explained the progress in the inter-Korean relations ahead of the third inter-Korean summit set for the following week, as well as the ROK government’s efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. On that note, he asked the UK, the UN Security Council’s permanent member state paying much attention to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, to continue cooperation in that regard.

° Permanent Under Secretary McDonald stated that the UK supports the ROK government’s policy and efforts for progress in the inter-Korean relations as well as toward complete denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula; will work closely with the ROK government in seeking meaningful progress toward denuclearization; and will play a role and render support to the ROK as necessary.

* unofficial translation