The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 11 said Youn Jong Kwon (left), director general of the ministry's International Security Bureau, on the day before held the inaugural edition of a bilateral space security dialogue with European Union Special Envoy for Space Marjolijn Van Deelen in Brussels. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The country's first bilateral dialogue on space security with the European Union (EU) has discussed cooperation in jointly responding to threats in space.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on March 11 said Youn Jong Kwon, director-general of the ministry's International Security Bureau, on the day before held the inaugural talks with EU Special Envoy for Space Marjolijn Van Deelen in Brussels.

Both sides agreed to share assessments of threats in space and maintain cooperation to further develop rules on space security. They also decided to hold the dialogue regularly and seek specific measures for cooperation in space security.

The ministry emphasized the need to closely cooperate with likeminded states such as the EU to respond to the rising threat of North Korea in space.

This dialogue was a follow-up to a bilateral security and defense partnership concluded in November last year by Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and then High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

dusrud21@korea.kr