1. On October 24, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with Foreign Minister Niermala Badrising of Suriname, who was on a visit to the Republic of Korea for the sixth High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership in Seoul on October 26. In their meeting, the two top diplomats extensively exchanged views on the bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers, taking note of the steady advances in the friendly and cooperative ties between the ROK and Suriname since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, agreed to step up mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, development, and information and communications technology, as well as on the international stage.

3. Minister Yun, calling North Korea’s repeated provocations, including nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula and beyond, underscored the need for the international community to work in a consistent and united manner to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and to make the North change its behavior. On that note, he asked for Suriname’s support and cooperation.

4. Minister Badrising clearly expressed opposition to North Korea’s nuclear program; shared the view of Minister Yun that the North Korean development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles is a serious threat to the international community; and pledged to render continuous and all-out support to the ROK government on its policy toward North Korea.

5. The ROK-Suriname foreign ministerial meeting, like Minister Yun’s attendance at the Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in June, is seen to have helped strengthen the ROK’s relations with the Caribbean, which is emerging as the ROK’s cooperative partner on the international stage, and broaden its international cooperative network for pressuring North Korea.


* unofficial translation