1. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the “Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conducted public diplomacy activities, including the unveiling ceremony of the monument to poet Kim Ki-rim, a symposium between experts of the Republic of Korea and Japan, a celebratory dinner for key figures in northeastern Japan, and Hallyu cultural performances, in Sendai, the center of northeastern Japan, from November 28 till 30 as part of efforts to increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges and promote friendship between the ROK and Japan.

2. Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Bahk Sahng-hoon visited the site where the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011, and laid a wreath at a memorial for victims. The Ambassador also visited the monument to lawyer Tatsuji Fuse, attended the unveiling ceremony of the monument to poet Kim Ki-rim, and delivered keynote addresses at a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration, and at a dinner for key figures. During the events, he stressed the need to advance the ROK-Japan relations in a future-oriented manner, and to enhance mutual understanding through more cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

o He also emphasized that the ROK and Japan, sharing values of democracy and human rights, were precious partners, and important neighbors and friends, and said that Japan’s support and cooperation were necessary in making progress in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

3. The aforementioned public diplomacy events, which brought together a number of people from the civic groups, academia, and the media of the two countries, demonstrated the two countries’ willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation at the grass-roots level to increase consensus and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.

o A Hallyu cultural performance sponsored by the Foreign Ministry (performance by b-boying group Jinjo Crew on November 29) also received enthusiastic response from an audience of about 800 people, showing the Japanese people’s interest in Hallyu and its popularity among them.

4. Through these public diplomacy events, the Foreign Ministry implemented recommendations included in the final report of the Ministry’s “task force (TF) to facilitate cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the ROK and Japan,” launched on May 28, as well as those made in the joint meeting of the ROK and Japanese task forces, held on October 28. In particular, the erection of the monument to Kim Ki-rim, led by the civic groups of the two countries, and co-organized by the Consulate-General of the ROK in Sendai and Tohoku University in Japan, is seen as an exemplary case of public diplomacy through cooperation between the public and private sectors.

5. The Foreign Ministry will continue to support a range of cultural and people-to-people exchanges that can contribute to promoting friendship and increasing mutual understanding between the people of the ROK and Japan.

* unofficial translation