1. Director-General for African and Middle Eastern Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hong Jin-wook, together with Director of the Asia and Pacific Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel Gilad Cohen, held the 12^th Republic of Korea-State of Israel policy consultation at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on November 9. In the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to boost high-level exchanges and bilateral consultations; cooperation on innovative entrepreneurship, including startups; tourism and cultural exchanges; and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.

2. Director-General Hong, voicing hope for more robust exchanges between high-level officials and people in various sectors of the ROK and Israel, suggested continuously increasing bilateral consultations in various sectors.  

° Director Cohen shared the Director-General’s view on the need for high-level exchanges; took note of the effectiveness of channels for expert consultations, such as the policy roundtable between the two countries’ think tanks on foreign and security policies; and suggested broadening the scope covered by bilateral consultative mechanisms to include such areas as science and technology.

3. With regard to ROK-Israel economic cooperation, the two sides agreed to seek various ways to work together to combine Israel’s strong areas of high-tech source technology and software with the ROK’s capacity for technology commercialization and manufacturing base.

° In particular, the ROK side agreed to work more closely with Israel, a leader in innovative entrepreneurship, in boosting investment in ventures and building a venture ecosystem. The two sides agreed to review ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between young entrepreneurs-to-be of the two countries.

° The two sides, drawing a common understanding that an ROK-Israel FTA would help lay the institutional groundwork for increased economic cooperation between the two countries, agreed to continue efforts to expedite the conclusion of the FTA.

4. The Israeli delegation asked for the ROK government’s attention to ensure that the current growth in the number of Korean tourists in Israel continues. The ROK side requested that the Israeli government pay keen attention and support in ensuring the safety of Korean travelers in Israel.

5. The two sides exchanged views on the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East. The Israeli side expressed support for the ROK government’s efforts to achieve denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

6. On the occasion of the policy consultation, Director Cohen met with Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, during which the two sides discussed ways to work more closely together, including to promote high-level exchanges and to conclude an ROK-Israel FTA.

* unofficial translation