Republic of Korea: Phone call between High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong

On 8 March, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, held a phone call with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Chung Eui-yong. High Representative/Vice-President Borrell congratulated the Foreign Minister on his recent appointment and looked forward to working with him to advance the EU-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership.

High Representative/Vice-President Borrell and Foreign Minister Chung looked forward to holding the next EU-Republic of Korea Summit. The summit will allow the EU and the Republic of Korea to enhance their joint work in particular on climate action, the digital agenda, and foreign and security policy cooperation.

They spoke about the urgency of resuming inter-Korean dialogue. The High Representative/Vice-President reiterated the European Union's full and active support for complete denuclearisation and sustainable peace on the Korean peninsula. They also discussed the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and the High Representative/Vice-President outlined the ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring it back on track.

They discussed the respective measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the High Representative/Vice-President also welcomed the recent ratification by the Parliament of the Republic of Korea of three International Labour Organisation conventions.