Republic of Korea: High Representative/Vice-President Kallas holds second Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister Cho in Brussels
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union/European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Cho Hyun held the second EU-RoK Strategic Dialogue in Brussels on 22 January.
In their discussions, High Representative Kallas and Foreign Minister Cho reaffirmed their unwavering joint commitment to peace, stability and prosperity, grounded in shared values and common interests. They highlighted the importance of continued closer collaboration on regional and global security, with particular focus on the interconnected security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. They commended the good progress in the implementation of the 2023 Summit commitments and in the EU-RoK Security and Defence Partnership. They welcomed that the first EU-RoK Dialogue on Security and Defence took place in November 2025 and agreed to explore the possibility to negotiate a bilateral Security of Information Agreement.
The High Representative and the Foreign Minister reiterated their unwavering commitment to maintaining support to Ukraine as it defends its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s war of aggression, and their condemnation of third-country support to Russia’s illegal war of aggression. They also shared their joint grave concerns over Russia’s military cooperation with the DPRK, notably the deployment of DPRK troops to participate in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, and arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia, which flagrantly violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The High Representative and the Foreign Minister reaffirmed their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts in the South China Sea to change the status quo by force or coercion and increase tensions that could undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order. Both reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
High Representative Kallas and Foreign Minister Cho discussed the security situation in Europe, Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East. They also exchanged about most recent developments in Venezuela.
Background
The establishment of a Strategic Dialogue at foreign ministerial level was agreed at the 2023 EU-RoK Summit. The first EU-RoK Strategic Dialogue took place on 4 November 2024 in Seoul.