MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombia, South Korea strengthen bilateral relations during Seoul envoy trip to Bogota

During his Bogota stop, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-Kun expressed his country's concerns over Japan's intentions to release the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, the Asian nation's Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday in a statement.

Choi met with his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Echeverri, as well as Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez and Foreign Minister Claudia Blum, the ministry said to discuss Seoul's to take part in the IAEA-led monitoring and asked for Colombia's understanding and cooperation as a country that shares the Pacific Ocean, the statement added.

On the bilateral relations of nearly 60 years, Choi and Echeverri discussed efforts to achieve substantive cooperation in trade and investment, health, medicine, science and digital technology to overcome the covid -19 pandemic. Also on the agenda was Colombian President Iván Duque's visit to Korea, cooperation during the pandemic and Colombia's participation in P4G, a platform global partnership for green growth and the achievement of the 2030 sustainable development goals.

Vice President Ramírez also addressed the importance of Korean cooperation to optimize OECD benefits to Colombia; increase exports; prioritize the environmentally sustainable economy and develop the country as a bi-oceanic nation. “Attracting Korean investment to sectors such as the electric car, shipyard industry, economic repowering, gender equality and the fight against corruption, were also part of the topics discussed in the important meeting,” the Vice President was quoted as saying.

Choi is on a nine-day trip to Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico this week, as part of efforts to expand cooperation with the Latin American countries. He will return next Monday.