1. Lee Jooil, Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Pelayo Castro Zuzuarregui, Deputy Managing Director for the Americas at the European External Action Service (EEAS), on Friday, March 21, in Brussels, Belgium. They exchanged views on the situation in Latin America and their respective policies toward the region.

2. Both sides shared their views on the rapidly changing global environment and its impact on the situation in Latin America. They also discussed the progress in and future plans for diplomatic engagements with the region as well as cooperation with regional organizations in Latin America.

3. Both sides agreed on the need for Korea and the EU to coordinate their Latin America policies in order to effectively respond to developments in the region. They also committed to continuously exploring new opportunities for cooperation in the region.

4. With this year marking the 15th anniversary of the Korea-EU strategic partnership, this meeting is considered to have contributed to expanding the scope of Korea-EU cooperation to include Latin America affairs and strengthening communication on Latin America-related policies.

5. During his visit to Belgium, Director-General Lee also had luncheon with members of the diplomatic corps of Latin American countries to the EU and a meeting with experts from the International Crisis Group (ICG) to exchange views on the situation in Latin America.