South Korea's Special Envoy Meets EU Leaders, Highlights Commitment To Stronger Ties

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, July 17 (IANS) South Korea's presidential delegation to the European Union met with key EU leaders in Brussels this week and conveyed the Lee Jae Myung government's commitment to bolstering ties with the EU to address shared challenges, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The delegation, led by former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-joon, met with Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, on Tuesday, followed by a meeting with Christel Schaldemose, vice president of the European Parliament, on Wednesday, the ministry said in a release.

Lee named Yoon, a high-profile political strategist, as his special envoy to the 27-member bloc earlier this week, along with three others to France, Britain and India. Lee took office early last month, according to the Yonhap news agency.

In the meetings, the delegation outlined Lee's pragmatic foreign policy approach and expressed hope for working closely with the European Union to "open a path for peace and co-existence on the Korean Peninsula by resuming inter-Korean dialogue, reducing military tensions and building trust," the ministry said.

Yoon personally delivered a letter from Lee to Costa, conveying his message on strengthening relations with the EU.

The two sides agreed to advance their substantive cooperation in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, climate change and other areas.

Costa said he looks forward to an early summit between the EU and South Korea.

In the meeting with Schaldemose, the two sides discussed efforts to further deepen the strategic partnership between South Korea and the EU. They shared the view that the two sides need to expand parliament-level exchanges going forward.

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