1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held his first telephone conversation with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi on Thursday, July 24, from 14:10 to 14:30, during which the two sides exchanged views on Korea-Japan relations and regional affairs. The call also served as a courtesy exchange marking Minister Cho’s inauguration.

2. Minister Cho noted that Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, along with the Korea-U.S. alliance, form the core pillars of the Korean government’s pragmatic diplomacy, and that the two countries would work together to build a more solid, mature, and future-oriented bilateral relationship based on mutual goodwill between the peoples of both nations.

3. Minister Iwaya congratulated Minister Cho on his inauguration and expressed his intention to continue working closely together to ensure the stable development of Korea-Japan relations, especially in light of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, as well as to further strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan.

4. The two Ministers shared the view that given the increasingly complex regional and global environment surrounding both countries, it is essential for the two countries to continue cooperation across a wide range of areas. They also agreed on the importance of maintaining close communication between the foreign ministers, as well as shuttle diplomacy between the leaders.