By Reporter Anna Kim 

Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin attended the ASEAN-related Diplomatic Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 14. On this occasion, he held a meeting with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to discuss bilateral relations and other matters.

Both ministers celebrated the 140th anniversary of Korean-British exchanges this year and noted the active high-level exchanges between the two countries, including their meeting during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May and the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11.

They agreed to continue and expand bilateral cooperation in various fields such as nuclear and renewable energy, digital technologies, and supply chains, aiming to develop a future-oriented "comprehensive and creative partnership" between the two nations.

Additionally, both ministers strongly condemned North Korea's consecutive missile provocations, including the recent long-range ballistic missile launch on July 12.

Minister Park emphasized, "As North Korea intensifies its nuclear and missile development despite a lack of resources, the humanitarian situation for North Korean residents is deteriorating terribly." In response, the two ministers decided to continue and strengthen multilateral cooperation to improve the human rights situation in North Korea.

Minister Cleverly welcomed the normalization of relations between Japan and Korea, the closest partner countries for the UK in the Asian region, and expressed hope for close cooperation between Japan, Korea, and the entire Indo-Pacific region for peace.

Both sides highly evaluated the agreement to advance the Korean-British framework and further develop bilateral relations. They pledged to continue close consultations for this purpose.

Meanwhile, Minister Park requested the UK's interest and support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo. In response, Minister Cleverly stated, "I am well aware of Korea's efforts in securing the Expo. I wish you success until the final selection."