1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns from 16:00 to 16:45 on Saturday, April 27. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the ongoing preparations for the summit talks between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. They also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the Gaeseong Industrial Complex issue, as well as the situation in Northeast Asia, where tensions are on the rise.

2. Minister Yun remarked that it is very exceptional to have exchange of visits between the ROK Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State as well as frequent visitors to Korea including U.S. high-level defense and diplomatic officials and Congressional leaders, within just two months after the launch of the new administration. He noted that this demonstrates the firm commitment of the ROK and the U.S. governments to further strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance.

3. Deputy Secretary Burns underscored the readiness of the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress to advance the ROK-U.S. comprehensive strategic alliance together with President Park Geun-hye. He also emphasized that the U.S. government is putting its utmost efforts to make a success of President Park’s first foreign trip and the first ROK-US summit. Furthermore, he expressed his confidence that based on U.S.’s preparation made so far, President Park’s visit to the U.S. will be successful.

○ Minister Yun expressed his appreciation toward the U.S.’s cooperation and stressed that the ROK and the U.S. Presidents should take this opportunity to strengthen trust between the two Presidents, and share their vision and philosophy. In addition, he emphasized that it is necessary for two governments to build a solid cooperation framework for next four years in their early phases in order to advance the ROK-U.S. alliance and overcome the challenges ahead. He also proposed that the two sides continue to work together toward the success of the major events during the President’s visit, including the summit meeting and the address to the Joint Session of the Congress.

4. With regard to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex issue, Minister Yun explained that as North Korea continued to reject the ROK’s proposal to address the issue through dialogue, the ROK government had no other choice but to bring back home all remaining ROK workers at the Complex given its priority placed on the safety of its people. In response, Deputy Secretary Burns expressed his full understanding and support for the ROK’s decision. The Minister and the Deputy Secretary agreed to continue their close cooperation on North Korea’s situation.

5. Minister Yun and Deputy Secretary Burns shared the view that the countries in the region should work more closely together to persuade North Korea to change. In this context, the two sides expressed their satisfactions toward a series of intensive regional high-level strategic dialogues on North Korea, including the ROK-U.S., the ROK-China, and the U.S.-China high-level meetings.

6. The two sides shared the concern that recent tensions among Northeast Asian countries may cause a negative impact on friendship and cooperative relations in the region. Moreover, Minister Yun explained the ROK government’s Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation Initiative, stressing that the Initiative is aimed to facilitate discussions on matters of mutual concern among countries in the region and thereby contribute to building trust. The two sides agreed to closely cooperate to further develop the Initiative.

*unofficial translation