By Sohn JiAe

President Moon Jae-in hosted a phone call with Prime Minister of New Zealand Bill English on May 30. During the 20-minute call, the two leaders discussed ways to further enhance bilateral ties.

President Moon began the conversation by mentioning the noble sacrifice and dedication shown by Korean War veterans from New Zealand. He then moved on to talk about the need for closer cooperation between the two countries on dealing with North Korean issues.

Commenting on the Korea-New Zealand free trade agreement and the working holiday visa program that have enabled active exchanges of human resources over the past few years, the president said, “These bilateral relations will continue to increase trade, which is a win-win for both countries.”

“Based on the human-to-human exchanges from which we all benefit, hopefully we will see mutual understanding among our two peoples improve and the friendship between our two countries will further deepen,” he said.

In response, the prime minister said, “Both countries have maintained a close partnership since the Korean War.” He then called for President Moon to “make sure to visit New Zealand as soon as your government's new Cabinet is fully staffed and has its operations on track.”

jiae5853@korea.kr