1. On December 14, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Managing Director for Asia and Pacific of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Gunnar Wiegand, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea for the 15^th meeting of the ROK-EU joint committee. In their meeting, the Vice Minister and the Managing Director reviewed the progress in the work to follow up on the ninth ROK-EU summit held in Brussels on October 19 and ways to move it forward; and current situations on the Korean Peninsula and in other main regions of the world.

2. Vice Minister Cho noted with appreciation that at the successful ninth ROK-EU summit in Brussels in October, the two sides had shared a vision regarding the way forward for the bilateral strategic partnership and had opened up a new horizon of bilateral cooperation. He went on to voice hope that the two sides will do their utmost to thoroughly implement the measures agreed upon at the summit talks.

° In particular, the ROK side asked the EU to pay a keener attention to and render support on efforts to minimize negative impact of the EU’s safeguard measures on steel products; toward an early completion of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adequacy assessment; and toward the EU’s accession to the Global Green Growth Institute.

3. Managing Director Wiegand, bringing attention to the EU’s view of the ROK-EU summit as one held successfully in a friendly aura between the two leaders, stressed that at the 15^th meeting of the ROK-EU joint committee in Seoul on December 13, the two sides had reviewed in detail the outcome of the bilateral summit held in October as well as the progress in its follow-up measures across the board, including political and social affairs, economy, security, and culture, and had agreed to implement them thoroughly. He voiced hope that the two sides will continue close consultations with each other through channels being run by the two sides for consultations in main areas.

4. Vice Minister Cho brought renewed attention to the fact that at their latest summit talks, the ROK and the EU leaders had shared with each other their convictions and principles on Korean Peninsula issues; extended appreciation to the EU for its strong support for the ROK government’s peace process on the Korean Peninsula; and asked the EU to remain attentive to and supportive of the efforts to achieve the goal of a complete denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

° Managing Director Wiegand relayed the EU’s strong support for the work of the ROK government to achieve denuclearization and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, adding that it will continue to render support and will play a role and offer assistance to the extent it can.

* unofficial translation