By Kayla Lee | Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held the first Korea-EU Strategic Dialogue with Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy on Nov. 4, discussing Korea-EU relations, Russia-North Korea cooperation and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as well as regional and international affairs.

Minister Cho and High Representative Borrell agreed that the Strategic Dialogue is very timely and important under the current geopolitical situation, where the security situation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is closely linked, as evidenced by the recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. 

This is the first Strategic Dialogue to be held in accordance with the agreement reached at the Korea-EU Summit in Seoul in May last year, and the two sides agreed to continue to strengthen the Korea-EU strategic partnership based on solidarity between partners with shared core values.

Cho and Borrell also welcomed the adoption of the Agreement on the Korea-EU Security and Defense Partnership on the occasion of the Strategic Dialogue, as the two sides agreed to strengthen the security partnership at the Korea-EU Summit in May last year. 

The partnership encompasses cooperation in 15 areas of security and defense, including maritime security, cyber, disarmament and non-proliferation, and defense, and the two sides will build on it to strengthen joint efforts to respond to growing global security threats. 

The document on the Security and Defense Partnership agreed today is the fourth non-binding political document the EU has agreed to, following Moldova, Norway and Japan.

In a joint statement, Cho and Borrell strongly condemned North Korea's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine through illegal arms transfers and the deployment of special forces, which threatens global security, including in South Korea and Europe, and called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of military cooperation. 

The two sides affirmed that North Korea does not and will never have the status of a nuclear weapon state under the NPT and called on North Korea to take concrete steps towards denuclearization. In this regard, the two sides agreed to closely monitor what Russia provides to North Korea in exchange for military cooperation, and to actively pursue necessary measures with the international community.

In addition to the situation in Ukraine, Cho and Borrell also exchanged in-depth views on international affairs, including the Middle East, Northeast Asia, and the Korean Peninsula. The two sides expressed deep concern over the prolonged war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine.

Minister Cho and Borrell also agreed to explore ways to expand cooperation in the implementation of the two sides' Indo-Pacific Strategy. In particular, Minister Cho noted that Korea has emerged as a country that shares democratic values and can make meaningful contributions to international peace and prosperity, and would like to strengthen cooperation with the G7 on major international issues. 

In response, Borrell said that he would continue to work closely with the ROK at the bilateral and multilateral levels to safeguard the norm-based international order.