Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Choi Youngsam
January 4, 2022  14:30  KST
 
Good afternoon. This is the Foreign Ministry’s first briefing this year. I wish you a happy new year. Let me start today’s briefing.

First, I will read the MOFA Spokesperson’s commentary on the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, issued yesterday, January 3.

The Korean government expresses its support for the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, issued on January 3, 2022.

The Korean government expects that the Joint Statement will contribute to strengthening the global nuclear non-proliferation regime based on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as to enhancing international peace and stability. In particular, the Korean government welcomes that the Five Nuclear-Weapon States, for the first time, jointly affirmed that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” The Korean government also urges the Five Nuclear-Weapon States to take this opportunity to engage constructively in bilateral and multilateral dialogues aimed at achieving substantive progress in nuclear disarmament and preventing arms races.

The Korean government has been actively participating in multilateral initiatives promoting substantive nuclear disarmament including the Stockholm Initiative and the Creating an Environment for Nuclear Disarmament (CEND) and will continue its efforts to contribute to the strengthening of the NPT regime.

Next, on Friday, January 7, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong will meet with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris, who will visit Korea from January 5 to 7.

In the meeting, the two Foreign Ministers will review the progress in bilateral relations between Korea and Sri Lanka, which mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year, and discuss the way forward. They will also exchange views on substantive cooperation between the two countries in the post-COVID-19 era, and regional affairs including the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean, as well as ways to work together on the international stage.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects the upcoming meeting to serve as an opportunity to strengthen the friendly partnership between Korea and Sri Lanka, which is situated at a strategically important location in the Indian Ocean.

Lastly, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun will visit Vienna, Austria, from January 4 to 9 and meet with heads of delegations to the negotiations which aim to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

During the visit, Vice Minister Choi will grasp developments in the negotiations, extend diplomatic support necessary for progress in the negotiations on the restoration of the JCPOA, and explore ways to resolve issues between Korea and Iran.

Vice Minister Choi’s visit to Vienna, which is part of the Korean government’s active diplomacy, shows efforts to strengthen collaboration between Korea and the U.S. in preserving the global non-proliferation regime and to contribute to advancing the Korea-Iran relations.

(A question-and-answer session followed.)