1. Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Tae-ho, together with Secretary-General Albert-Raphael Mondonga of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, held the first meeting of the Republic of Korea-DR Congo joint committee at the ROK Foreign Ministry on August 19. In the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to work closely together on economy and development as well as on the international stage. They also engaged in an extensive exchange of views on such regional issues as North Korean nuclear and missile provocations.

2. The two sides noted with appreciation the deepening bilateral relations of late, as demonstrated by DR Congo Foreign Minister Tshibanda’s visit to the ROK two weeks before, as well as the great increase in material exchanges between the two countries, including a staggering 100-fold growth in the trade volume over the past ten years.

3. The two sides, taking note of the steadily broadening scope of bilateral cooperation to include trade, investment, agriculture and education, discussed various possible ways to further step up cooperation.

4. The two sides, appreciating the successful progress in development cooperation with the ROK’s grant aid to DR Congo, one of the ROK’s main development cooperation partners in Africa, agreed to work closely together for a successful completion of the currently ongoing grant-aid development cooperation projects, including the one to establish a national museum in DR Congo.

5. The two sides expressed concern over North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations that pose a grave threat to peace and security not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the entire international community, sharing the view that it is important to thoroughly implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

6. The joint committee meeting carries significance in that the first-ever regular consultative mechanism between the ROK and DR Congo has formally been launched for comprehensive reviews and management of the bilateral relations. The meeting, which came shortly after the bilateral foreign ministerial meeting in Seoul on August 2, is seen to have contributed to efforts to further step up substantive bilateral cooperation.


* unofficial translation