1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of Japan Taro Kono on January 4 for an exchange of views on the Korean Supreme Court ruling regarding victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Korea as well as Japan’s claim that the Korean destroyer operated signal tracking and illuminating radar (STIR) against a Japanese patrol plane.

2. Minister Kang explained the situation in the ROK, including the application by Korean victims of forced labor for a compulsory execution of the Supreme Court decision, and the Korean government’s position. In response, Minister Kono explained the Japanese government’s position.

3. With respect to the issue of the radar, the two Ministers drew a common understanding that the national defense authorities of the two countries should seek to resolve their differences through consultations.

4. The two top diplomats agreed to continue close communication with each other in 2019 in a bid to advance the ROK-Japan relations in a future-oriented way.

* unofficial translation