1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs discloses a total of 1,420 volumes (about 230,000 pages) of diplomatic documents, along with a bibliographical introduction to the documents, on March 30.  The documents were mostly produced 30 years ago in the year 1987.

※ bibliographical introduction: a summary of key contents of a huge number of diplomatic documents (about 700 words)

2. The documents disclosed this time include those on the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference of Non-aligned Nations on South-South Cooperation; responses to US trade laws; President of Burma U San Yu’s visit to the ROK; US steps easing regulations on its contact with North Korean diplomats; and the ROK and Japan’s joint development of continental shelves.

3. The disclosed diplomatic documents are available in the reading room of diplomatic documents at the Diplomatic Archives. The list of disclosed diplomatic documents and a bibliographical introduction to the documents will be distributed to major research institutes and libraries, and the contents of the bibliographical introduction (summary) can be accessed on the website and mobile app of the Diplomatic Archives.

☞ Address of the Diplomatic Archives: 2572, Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Seocho-dong)

https://diplomaticarchives.mofa.go.kr

4. The Foreign Ministry has disclosed a total of about 25,000 volumes (about 3,400,000 pages) of diplomatic documents over 25 rounds since 1994. In order to uphold the people’s right to know and increase transparency in government affairs, the Ministry will make more efforts to communicate with the people by disclosing as many diplomatic documents as possible.

* unofficial translation