KINGSTON, Jamaica — State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr on Tuesday met with Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Young Gyu Lee where they discussed, among other things, denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

During the courtesy call, Lee shared the view that “denuclearisation, settlement of tensions and normalisation of US relations should lead to the promotion of peace worldwide”.

He also underscored the importance of the upcoming inter-Korean (North and South) Summit, slated for April 28 and the planned meeting between United States President, Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jung-Un.

Meanwhile, Charles expressed hope that South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s “bold, but not brash” actions will resound historically as effective and “will impact how other nations approach negotiations”.

The state minister also thanked Lee for his country’s 2015 grant aid financing of a high-tech digital archiving system for the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) and the donation of three Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), now being used by ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

He also conveyed the government’s appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s US$670,000 financing of the National Identification System (NIDS), which included the hosting and NIDS training of 12 Jamaicans in Seoul, Korea in July 2017.

On the subject of climate change, the two officials highlighted the fact that Jamaica, through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has been selected as a pilot country for the new “Impact Assessment of Climate Change and the Sandy Shorelines of the Caribbean Project”.

Jamaica and Korea established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1962.