1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a telephone conversation with Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland Pekka Haavisto on April 8 at the latter’s request and discussed ways of cooperation in responding to COVID-19 including sharing relevant experiences.

2. Minister Kang mentioned that the COVID-19 situation has lately been improving in the Republic of Korea, but the ROK government is responding actively to the situation without letting down its vigilance by taking such measures as extending the “social distancing” campaign for another two weeks and opening online school classes.

3. Minister Haavisto, highly appreciating the ROK’s effective response to COVID-19 and close cooperation between the ROK and Finland in the area of disease control, voiced hope that the two countries will continue to step up cooperation at not only bilateral but also multilateral level including international organizations.

° In response, Minister Kang mentioned that, the COVID-19 situation being a global challenge, cooperation of the international community is important. She went on to suggest that the two countries look into ways to render multilateral assistance to developing countries.

4. In the telephone conversation, the two Ministers, recognizing the importance of the two countries’ cooperation in the process of responding to COVID-19, agreed to continue close communication.