1. The 10th Republic of Korea-Mongolia meeting on consular affairs took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar on December 4. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia B. Battsetseg and Deputy-Minister for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs of the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lee Sang-jin.

o The two sides spoke positively about the fact that the ROK-Mongolia consular meeting, which had taken place at director-general level, was held at deputy minister level this year, and agreed that trustworthy and sound people-to-people exchanges between the two countries would become a strong foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

2. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the current state of cooperation on a range of consular issues, including improving convenience for people leaving or entering, and staying in their countries, as well as protecting the safety and rights of their nationals in each other’s countries, and agreed to continue to step up consular cooperation.

o (Resolving difficulties facing Korean nationals staying in Mongolia) As a stable sojourn is difficult for Korean nationals in Mongolia due to the short length of stay for Korean nationals, the ROK side actively requested the Mongolian side extend the current period of stay (3-6 months) to at least one year. The Mongolian side said that it would actively review whether it could increase the period of stay under domestic law.

o (Taking note of the ROK’s decision to issue more multiple-entry visas for Mongolian nationals) The Mongolian side expressed great appreciation to the ROK Ministry of Justice for its decision to issue more multiple-entry visas for Mongolian nationals (effective from October 2018). The ROK side offered to continue to work together to make sure that the ROK’s decision has a positive impact on efforts to increase exchanges between the people of the two countries.

o (Discussing measures to prevent illegal immigration) The Mongolian side said that as part of efforts to prevent its nationals from staying illegally abroad, its Foreign Ministry, together with the Embassy of the United States and the Embassy of the ROK in Mongolia, was implementing the “Travel Responsibly” campaign, and asked for cooperation from the ROK Ministry of Justice. The ROK side offered to continue to strengthen cooperation, mainly between the ROK Ministry of Justice and the Embassy of Mongolia in the ROK.

o (Protecting Korean nationals in Mongolia) The ROK asked for Mongolian authorities’ cooperation to ensure that Korean nationals in prison in Mongolia who are undergoing trial procedures get a fair and speedy trial. The Mongolian side said that it would deliver the ROK’s views to related authorities, including the Mongolian Ministry of Justice, and ask for cooperation.

3. The two sides shared the view that making substantive progress in consular cooperation would become an important foundation for increasing people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, as well as cooperation on other various issues, including political, economic, social and cultural issues. They agreed to consult on the schedule for next meeting through diplomatic channels.

* unofficial translation