1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had a telephone conversation with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi from 11:15 to 11:35 on December 23, 2024, and the two sides discussed Korea’s domestic situation and Korea-Japan relations.

2. Minister Cho said that the Korean government is stably managing overall state affairs under the acting authority system and will unwaveringly maintain its diplomatic stance, including the development of Korea-Japan relations. He also stressed that there is no need to worry about the normal economic activities of foreign companies and called for continued economic cooperation between the two countries.

3. As next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, is just a week away, the two ministers agreed to make steady preparations to ensure that 2025 becomes a meaningful year for bilateral relations.

4. The two ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining strong cooperation between Korea and Japan and among Korea, the U.S., and Japan in order to respond to the grave international situation, including the North Korean issue, and agreed to continue close communication at all levels.