1. On January 22 (Wednesday), Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held his first phone conversation with Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. They discussed Korea-EU relations, Russia-North Korea cooperation, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and broader international affairs.

* High Representative Kallas assumed her position as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on December 1, 2024.

2. Minister Cho once again extended congratulations on High Representative Kallas’ appointment and expressed his desire for a further strengthened Korea-EU Strategic Partnership. High Representative Kallas emphasized that Korea is an important strategic partner for the EU and reaffirmed the importance of cooperation with Korea.

3. Minister Cho and High Representative Kallas shared the view that, in today’s closely interconnected global security environment, — particularly between Europe and the Indo-Pacific — the Korea-EU Strategic Partnership, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, is deepening across multiple areas including political, economic and security affairs. The two sides agreed to continue consultations on convening at an early date bilateral meetings such as the second Korea-EU Strategic Dialogue and a High-Level Political Dialogue and on implementing the Korea-EU Security and Defense Partnership agreement, which was adopted during the first Strategic Dialogue last year.

4. Furthermore, the two sides strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, recognizing it as a serious threat to global security, including that of Korea and Europe. They agreed to continue working together to halt such cooperation.

5. Minister Cho and High Representative Kallas agreed to hold a formal meeting at the earliest possible opportunity, either on the margins of a multilateral meeting or during a bilateral visit, to engage in deeper discussions on ways for Korea-EU cooperation and current international affairs.