1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yoon Soon-gu held the 5th Korea-Canada Strategic Dialogue with Assistant Deputy Minister for Asia Pacific of Global Affairs Canada Donald Bobiash in Seoul on March 18, and engaged in a broad exchange of views on regional situations, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula; substantive cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Canada; and global issues.

2. Deputy Minister Yoon and Assistant Deputy Minister Bobiash took note that the ROK and Canada have not only been strengthening bilateral substantive cooperation on the basis of robust high-level exchanges and institutional frameworks for cooperation (ROK-Canada FTA, Agreement for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation, etc.), but also expanding cooperation on the international stage in responding to global issues, including women-related issues, development cooperation and climate change.

3. Deputy Minister Yoon shared the latest developments in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the results of the second United States-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea summit, and asked Canada to play an active role to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.

o Assistant Deputy Minister Bobiash showed a lot of interest in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the recent progress in inter-Korean relations, and said that Canada would continue to play a constructive role.

4. The Korea-Canada Strategic Dialogue served as an opportunity for the two countries to exchange views on bilateral substantive cooperation on a range of global issues, as well as the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in key regions, thereby contributing to strengthening the “strategic partnership” between the two countries.

* unofficial translation