Leaders of Korea, Denmark agree to expand cooperation

Published : Oct 21, 2018 - 09:10 Updated : Oct 21, 2018 - 09:10

COPENHAGEN -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen agreed to further expand their countries' economic and trade relations Saturday, also pledging joint efforts to fight global protectionism.

In a bilateral summit, the leaders noted the countries' strategic partnership has contributed to strengthening their cooperation in various sectors, ranging from energy and food and agriculture to life science and maritime affairs.

They agreed to further expand the countries' cooperation into new areas, including health and welfare.

(Yonhap)

"President Moon and Prime Minister Rasmussen further highlighted the positive development in bilateral cooperation on life science, and agreed to further strengthen their partnership on pharma/bio tech, digital health and welfare," they said in a joint press statement.

The countries established diplomatic relationship in 1959. It was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2011.

Noting that the year 2019 will be designated Cultural Year in both countries to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties, the leaders expressed hope that the year would serve as a testament to the importance of their partnership and people-to-people exchanges.

They expressed satisfaction with what they called the countries' fast-growing economic relations and vowed efforts to further strengthen their bilateral trade and also fight global protectionism.

"Both sides underlined the importance of promoting free, fair and rules-based trade and protecting the WTO and multilateral trade system in light of rising trade protectionism, which poses a threat to sustained economic growth," they said.

Rasmussen expressed his full support for the diplomatic initiatives undertaken by President Moon through the three inter-Korean summits to improve inter-Korean relations and achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"President Moon highly appreciated Denmark's consistent support for and contribution to the process of peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders shared the view that the denuclearization must be achieved in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," the statement said.

Moon arrived here Friday for the first-ever summit of Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, or P4G.

The South Korean president commended the government of Denmark and Prime Minister Rasmussen on the success of the P4G summit that aimed to help deliver on the UN sustainable development goals 2030.

Moon will leave Denmark later in the day to head home, wrapping up his weeklong European tour that earlier took him to Paris, Rome, the Vatican and Brussels. (Yonhap)