1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited Munich on February 14 and 15 to attend the 55th Munich Security Conference at the invitation of its Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger.

- The 55th Munich Security Conference brought together government leaders of 28 countries, including Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel and Vice President of the United States Mike Pence; foreign ministers of 52 countries; and principal officials of 12 international organizations.

2. On February 15, Minister Kang attended a roundtable on cyber security, where she delivered a keynote speech.

° Given the growing significance of cyber security, at the roundtable, delegates from not only governments but also academic circles and private companies discussed ways to work together in responding to cyber threats.

※ The roundtable on cyber security took place at 9:30-11:00, February 15, under the theme of “geopolitical implications of cyberspace.” It brought together former Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia Malcolm Turnbull, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security of the United States Andrea Lee Thompson, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and former State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany Katrin Suder, among others.

° Minister Kang, pointing out that recent malicious activities in cyberspace became real threats to national security, stressed that, in order to effectively respond to such threats, it was essential to strengthen partnership, develop confidence-building measures, and increase cyber capability-building projects.

° In particular, Minister Kang, underscoring the necessity of advancing international norms in cyberspace to build an open and secure cyberspace, shared with the other participants the Republic of Korea’s plan to continue to actively participate in relevant discussions at the UN and other international fora in an effort to advance those norms.

3. On the occasion of the Munich Security Conference, Minister Kang held a series of bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of Japan, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the French Republic, the European Union (High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and the United Nations (the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs). She took those opportunities to ask for their support for the ROK government’s efforts to achieve denuclearization and establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

* unofficial translation