1. On September 12, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kyou-hyun met with Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Salazar, who is on a visit to the Republic of Korea, to discuss ways to promote the ROK-Costa Rica relations.

2. The two Vice Ministers took note of robust bilateral cooperation in various fields, including government affairs, economy and culture, especially on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the visit of Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla to the ROK in 2012. They agreed to further advance their friendly and cooperative ties through high-level exchanges.

° Vice Minister Kim highlighted the more than two-fold increase in bilateral trade over the last three years and voiced his hope for joint efforts of the two countries to maintain this momentum. Furthermore, he asked the Costa Rican government to continue paying attention to and supporting Korean companies’ bids to expand their presence in the Costa Rican market.

° Vice Minister Salazar noted that the two countries have lately seen great progress in cooperation in many different fields. He added that the Costa Rican government, putting great significance on promoting cooperation with the ROK, will make its utmost efforts to further promote cooperation in various sectors, including trade and investment.

3. Vice Minister Kim extended appreciation to the Costa Rican government for its consistent and firm support for the ROK with regard to issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and on the international stage. He explained the ROK government’s trustpolitik, including the trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative, and asked for continued support of the Costa Rican government.

° Vice Minister Kim asked that Costa Rica, a Regional Coordinator for the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in the second half of the year 2013 and the chair country of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2014, play an active role in strengthening Asia-Latin America relations, adding that the ROK government will actively support such efforts.

4. Vice Minister Salazar commented that his visit to the ROK served as a good opportunity to learn more about the ROK’s economic development and the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. He expressed his hope to share the ROK’s development experience through the Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP) to be conducted from next year.

5. Vice Minister Salazar is on a visit to the ROK from September 9 through 14, invited by the Korea Foundation as part of its “foreign figure invitation program.” During his visit to the ROK, he will make a tour of key economic organizations.

                    Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation