1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a telephone conversation with Mr. Dominic Rennie Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the afternoon of June 10 at the latter’s request. In their 3rd telephone conversation following the ones in February and April, the Minister and the Secretary discussed response to COVID-19, the revision of bilateral agreements in preparation for Brexit, the special message of Her Majesty The Queen of the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, environmental cooperation and the current global affairs.

2. Minister Kang, taking note of the recent stabilization of the COVID-19 situation in the UK, extended appreciation to the UK government for its close cooperation, including sharing with the government of the Republic of Korea in advance its plan to introduce quarantine measures for inbound travelers.

° Secretary Raab mentioned that, despite the great progress in its COVID-19 response over the past three months, the UK is not loosening its vigilance in the face of a possible second wave of COVID-19. He added that, currently, the UK, like the ROK, is seeking to prevent the second wave by implementing measures for disease prevention and control and returning to daily lives at the same time.

3. Minister Kang offered congratulations on raising more vaccine-development fund than the target amount at the UK-hosted Global Vaccine Summit, suggesting that efforts be made for all those in need of vaccines to benefit from vaccine development. Secretary Raab extended appreciation to Minister Kang for participating in the recent Global Vaccine Summit and expressing her commitment to contribute, and suggested that the ROK and the UK expand health cooperation.

4. The Minister and the Secretary drew a common understanding that the post-COVID-19 economic recovery should be achieved in an environmentally friendly way. Secretary Raab mentioned that the UK will host the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in late 2021. Meanwhile, Minister Kang said that the ROK government is placing its priority on digital and green areas as two major pillars for its post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

5. Minister Kang voiced hope that the final-stage work to bring the ROK-UK FTA into force and revise the ROK-US Agreement for Air Services would be completed as soon as possible. Secretary Raab responded that efforts will be made to complete the relevant procedures during the Brexit transition period and thereby to prevent any setbacks in economic exchanges between the two countries.

6. Secretary Raab mentioned that Queen Elizabeth II is preparing a special message to the people of the two countries to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which carries special significance for the relations between the two countries, and Minister Kang expressed appreciation.

7. The Minister and the Secretary exchanged views on the current international situation and agreed to communicate actively and cooperate closely on various international issues.