1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha attended the “2^nd Ministerial Meeting of the Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)” held in Berlin, the Federal Republic of Germany, on February 25, and explained the government of the Republic of Korea’s view on progress in nuclear disarmament and ways to produce results at the NPT Review Conference.

o The meeting brought together representatives (ministerial-, vice ministerial- or high-level officials) from 16 non-nuclear countries, including the ROK.

2. The meeting was held with the aim to exchange views and seek common ground on nuclear disarmament issues between major non-nuclear countries in order to ensure the success of the Review Conference of the NPT, marking the 50^th anniversary of its entry into force this year.

o The participating countries exchanged views and sought common ground on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues with a view to strengthening the NPT regime in the current global security environment and achieving a successful outcome at the 2020 NPT Review Conference.

o A joint declaration titled “The NPT at 50: Advancing Nuclear Disarmament, Securing Our Future” and an annex, setting out concrete actions regarding nuclear disarmament (so-called “stepping stones”), were adopted as outcome documents of the meeting.

3. Minister Kang noted with appreciation that the NPT, marking the 50^th anniversary of its entry into force, has contributed to global peace and security as the cornerstone of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime in the multilateral system, and stressed the need for the international community to step up nuclear disarmament efforts towards the goal of “a world free of nuclear weapons,” with the NPT at its center.

o Minister Kang pointed out the importance of strengthening transparency, building trust and reducing nuclear threats through dialogues among nuclear-weapon states, and emphasized the need for all countries, including nuclear-weapon states as well as non-nuclear states, to work together in the spirit of “shared responsibility” to make gradual and tangible progress in nuclear disarmament.

4. On the North Korean nuclear issue, Minister Kang explained in detail the ROK government’s efforts to achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and asked for the international community’s continued support for them.

5. During the meeting, the ROK took an active part in discussions on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, key issues in the global disarmament and security area. This is expected to contribute to enhancing the ROK’s status and role as a responsible middle-power country in the international community.

6. Meanwhile, in her opening remarks at the meeting, Minister Kang explained to representatives from the participating countries that the ROK government is exerting all-out efforts for government-wide and proactive response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and making public relevant information in a transparent manner.

o Regarding the recent incidents of immigration controls against Korean nationals in some countries, Minister Kang asked the countries to refrain from taking excessive measures and to have a close consultation with the ROK government in advance.