1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam attended the “Reconnecting Asia” Conference co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on September 18. In his congratulatory remarks at the conference, Vice Minister Lim talked about the government of the Republic of Korea’s vision for enhancing connectivity with the Eurasian continent.

※ KITA-CSIS “Reconnecting Asia” Conference

- Date and venue: September 18, Four Seasons Hotel

- Theme: ‘Looking North: Korea in a Reconnecting Asia’

- Participants: about 200 academics and business people

2. Vice Minister Lim said that the conference under the theme of connectivity between the ROK and Asia, which coincided with the 3rd inter-Korean summit, was timely. He also said that the Moon Jae-in government was taking an active interest in policies to increase connectivity between the Korean Peninsula and Eurasia, and thereby promote peace and co-prosperity in the region, including the New Northern Policy; the “East Asian Railway Community” initiative; and a rail connection between the ROK and North Korea based on the Panmunjom Declaration.

o Vice Minister Lim especially expected that the East Asian Railway Community initiative would become a starting point to establish a regional economic community, which would lead to a Northeast Asian multilateral peace and security regime, as European countries expanded the scope of cooperation to political and security affairs, building upon their economic cooperation through the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

o Vice Minister Lim said that reconstructing the Trans-Korean Railway (TKR) would become an important first step in implementing the East Asian Railway Community initiative, as linking the TKR with the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) would be a starting point to build a railway network connecting the whole Eurasian continent.

o Vice Minister Lim also voiced hope that the third inter-Korean summit would produce meaningful results to advance inter-Korean relations, and to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and as a result, North Korea would join the ROK’s vision for increasing connectivity across the Eurasian continent.

* unofficial translation