ULAANBAATAR — President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to Mongolia, said he hopes the visit "will serve as a turning point that elevates the two countries' strategic partnership to a new level and a starting point for opening a new golden age in Korea-Mongolia relations."
"Korea and Mongolia are close partners that have built solid trust over the past 36 years based on the shared values of democracy and a free market economy," Lee said in a written interview with Mongolia's state news agency MONTSAME on the 9th, conducted ahead of his visit. On the two countries' core cooperation agenda, Lee stressed, "If Mongolia, with its abundant mineral resources and high growth potential, and Korea, with its mine development technology and advanced manufacturing capabilities, work together, we can become important partners in the critical minerals supply chain."
Specifically, Lee said, "We must go beyond simply participating in mine development and create a supply chain cooperation model that adds value and allows us to grow together." He explained, "We can build a cooperation model that spans the entire critical minerals supply chain, from exploration and mining to smelting and processing, links to advanced industries, recycling, and the training of skilled professionals."
"The Korea-Mongolia Rare Metals Research Center, which opened last year, is also expected to become a hub for expanding bilateral cooperation on the critical minerals supply chain," Lee added. "Such cooperation will provide Korea with a stable foundation for critical mineral supplies, while contributing to Mongolia's industrial advancement, value creation and technological development."
Lee also unveiled a plan to expand mutual visitors to 500,000 by 2030, the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. "We will prepare together for an 'era of 500,000 people-to-people exchanges' by laying institutional foundations, including signing an agreement on mutual recognition of driver's licenses and concluding a consular agreement, to enhance conveniences that citizens of both countries can feel in their daily lives," Lee said.
"We should not stop at simply increasing the scale of exchanges but also raise their quality," he continued. "We will support Mongolian workers and international students living in Korea so they can lead more stable lives, and expand air routes and flight frequencies, working together to create an environment where citizens of both countries can travel back and forth more conveniently."
Addressing Mongolia, the second country to establish diplomatic ties with North Korea, Lee said, "As a trusted peace partner and a country capable of dialogue with North Korea, Mongolia can play an important role in building trust in the region." He added, "I hope Mongolia will continue to contribute even more to peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but across all of Northeast Asia, drawing on the diplomatic trust it has accumulated and the valuable asset of the 'Ulaanbaatar Dialogue.'"
"Korea and Mongolia have developed their relationship over the past 36 years, sharing both joys and hardships," Lee said. "I hope we will always remain each other's most trusted partners as we move toward a new future."
