Press Briefing

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Noh Kyu-duk

October 25, 2018  14:30  KST

Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

First, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet with Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee of the United States Mac Thornberry at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 29.

In the meeting, the two sides will exchange views on key matters of mutual concern, including the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and the Republic of Korea-United States alliance, and discuss ways to work with the US Congress in advancing the ROK-US relations.

Moving along, the ROK and Japanese taskforces formed to increase bilateral cultural and people-to-people exchanges will hold a joint meeting in Seoul on October 29.

With the year 2018 marking the 20^th anniversary of the “Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration,” the two countries have agreed on the need to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges between them; and have each formed a taskforce in an effort to explore ways to increase such exchanges.

The taskforces of the two countries, having recently submitted their final reports to their governments, will discuss at the upcoming joint meeting projects that the two countries could conduct together by drawing upon what has been discussed in the respective countries.

The governments of the ROK and Japan will design and conduct joint projects by using ideas that will be put forward at the forthcoming joint meeting.

On a side note, prior to the joint meeting, the members of the Japanese taskforce will pay a courtesy call on Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

Thank you.

(A question-and-answer session followed.)

* unofficial translation