1. During her visit to the Republic of Poland, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with the country’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz on February 14 for a discussion on ways to advance the relations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Poland, issues concerning bilateral substantive cooperation, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers noted with appreciation that President Duda’s visit to the ROK in February 2018 had served as an opportunity for the bilateral ties to take a fresh leap forward; and agreed to further bolster the strategic partnership between the two countries in 2019, the 30^th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and on.

※ The ROK and the Republic of Poland forged diplomatic relations on November 1, 1989, and strategic partnership in October 2013.

3. The two Ministers took note of the increasingly robust economic exchanges between the two countries, as could be seen from bilateral trade having amounted to US$5 billion in 2018 for the first time ever. Minister Kang expressed hope for Korean enterprises’ presence in nuclear power plant and new airport construction and other large-scale state-run projects in Poland, as well as closer cooperation between the two countries on defense industry.

° Minister Czaputowicz, noting with appreciation Korean companies’ robust investment in Poland, voiced hope that Korean enterprises with cutting-edge technology and experiences would participate in large-scale state-run projects in Poland.

° With regard to the recent EU decision to impose safeguard measures on steel products, Minister Kang, bringing attention to the fact that the measures would have impact on production at local plants and job creation in Poland, asked the country to render assistance, such as by deciding to expand the import quota for Korean-made steel in the review process.

4. Minister Czaputowicz expressed pleasure over the fact that Polish Airlines’ direct flights to the ROK launched in October 2016 were helping to boost people-to-people and materials exchanges between the two countries. He went on to voice hope for more vigorous bilateral exchanges.

5. Minister Kang shared with her Polish counterpart the agreement between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to hold a bilateral summit in February and the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, extending appreciation to Poland for its strong support for the ROK government’s efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.

° Minister Czaputowicz mentioned that Poland, as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), was paying keen attention to the efforts toward peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and, in particular, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2018 and 2019, would work closely with the ROK in that regard.

6. The two Ministers agreed to continuously and increasingly work together at the UN and other international organizations.

* unofficial translation