1. On December 17, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Colombia Carlos Holmes Trujillo, who has been invited to make an official visit to the Republic of Korea.

o Foreign Minister Trujillo will make his first official visit to the ROK since the inauguration of the new Colombian government in August, and stay in the ROK from December 15 till 19.

2. In the meeting, the two Ministers will exchange views on ways to strengthen the ROK-Colombia strategic cooperative partnership, and engage in extensive discussions on issues of mutual interest, including ways to increase trade and investments; substantive cooperation in each area; cooperation on the global stage; and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Latin America.

o In particular, Minister Kang will explain the ROK government’s efforts to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to establish a lasting peace on the Peninsula, and ask for the Colombian side’s continued support and cooperation.

3. Colombia is the ROK’s traditional ally and key cooperation partner in Latin America. The meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to review the progress in advancing the ROK-Colombia relations, and to discuss in depth ways to step up substantive cooperation in a range of areas, including increasing trade and investments between the two countries, as well as helping more Korean companies participate in infrastructure projects in Colombia.

* unofficial translation