On November 5 (Wednesday), Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held his first phone call with Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland, during which they exchanged views on bilateral relations and international developments.

Minister Cho noted that Korea and Finland are strengthening substantive cooperation in areas such as the defense industry and critical minerals, and expressed his hope that cooperation across various sectors would be further deepened through active high-level exchanges.

Minister Valtonen congratulated Minister Cho on his inauguration and commended Korea for successfully hosting this year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting as the APEC 2025 Chair. Noting the significant potential for bilateral cooperation in areas such as the defense industry, science, technology, economic security, and connectivity, she suggested that the two countries continue discussions on ways to upgrade their bilateral relations to the next level through more concrete steps of cooperation. Minister Cho shared Minister Valtonen’s view and looked forward to continued close consultations between the two sides.

In addition, the two Ministers exchanged views on developments in such regions as the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine and agreed to meet with each other on the occasion of multilateral events and mutual visits, for in-depth discussions on ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.