1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will visit Japan on July 8 for bilateral and trilateral foreign ministerial meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the US and Foreign Minister Taro Kono of Japan.

2. In the forthcoming Republic of Korea-United States and ROK-US-Japan foreign ministerial meetings, Minister Kang will be briefed by Secretary Pompeo on the outcome of his latest visit to North Korea and will discuss in depth with her US and Japanese counterparts possible next steps to take to achieve a complete denuclearization and establish a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula as stipulated in the Panmunjeom Declaration and the joint statement adopted by the US and North Korean leaders.

° The ROK and the US have been coordinating closely with each other on next steps and fine-tuning the schedule for follow-up consultations at various levels, as can be seen from the recent telephone conversation between the Minister and the Secretary on the latter’s visit to North Korea. The upcoming bilateral meeting is expected to serve as a significant opportunity to consult extensively with each other on ways to work more closely together in preparing for the proposed full-fledged follow-up negotiations between the US and North Korea, as well as possible next strategies.

3. In the ROK-Japan foreign ministerial meeting, the two top diplomats will exchange views on matters of mutual concern, including issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and the bilateral relations.

* unofficial translation