Top diplomats of S. Korea, Britain agree on cooperation on vaccine access, climate change

The top diplomats of South Korea and Britain have agreed to reinforce cooperation on equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and the expansion of bilateral exchanges during their talks near London, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The agreement came during a strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, in the London suburb of Kent on Thursday, the day after a Group of Seven ministerial session ended.

"The two ministers shared the view that beyond bilateral cooperation, the strengthening of international cooperation, including at the G7 level, is crucial to address pending global issues, including climate change and responses to COVID-19," the ministry said in a press release.

"They agreed to make joint efforts to strengthen international solidarity and cooperation for the equitable distribution of vaccines and to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic," it added.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen collaboration to ensure that South Korea and Britain can successfully host their respective global forums -- the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit set for May 30-31 and the UN Climate Change Conference slated to take place from Nov. 1-12 in Glasgow.

In addition, they agreed to continue strengthening their countries' cooperation in the post-Brexit era by faithfully implementing a bilateral free trade agreement signed in August 2019. (Yonhap)