ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — President Lee Jae Myung on Friday met Mongolia's second- and third-highest-ranking officials, seeking their support to turn a summit vision for a new "golden age" in bilateral relations into tangible results.
Lee held separate meetings with Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral and Parliament Speaker Sandag Byambatsogt in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a day after he and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh adopted a joint declaration to usher in a "golden age" in bilateral ties.
During his meeting with Uchral, Lee urged the prime minister to help follow through on agreements reached at Thursday's summit.
"As prime minister, you are also in charge of overseeing practical affairs, so I hope you will pay close attention to the various agenda items we agreed on yesterday, particularly economic exchanges, cooperation on critical minerals and cooperation in the defense industry," Lee said.
"I ask that you play a major role in building a new Korea-Mongolia relationship and ushering in a golden age of Korea-Mongolia relations," he added.
Uchral said he would direct the relevant ministers to follow through on the agreements and produce tangible results.
"Going forward, I believe it is important to create opportunities for Mongolia to process and produce its mineral resources by leveraging Korean technology," Uchral said through an interpreter.
The prime minister recalled that, while serving as deputy prime minister, he had been involved in discussions between Mongolia's state-owned mining company Erdenes Mongol and South Korean steelmaker Posco regarding cooperation and the establishment of a processing facility in Mongolia.
Uchral also highlighted the significance of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, noting that he had previously led the Mongolian delegation in the talks.
The two sides reached an agreement in principle on the CEPA on the occasion of Thursday's summit.
During the meeting, Uchral pointed to the large Mongolian community in South Korea as evidence of the close people-to-people ties between the two countries.
"Mongolia has 21 aimags. Because around 60,000 Mongolians — roughly equivalent to the population of one aimag — reside in South Korea, we often say that Korea is home to Mongolia's 22nd aimag," he said. An aimag is Mongolia's first-level administrative division, roughly equivalent to a province.
South Korea is home to the largest Mongolian community overseas.
During the closed-door meeting, Uchral proposed cooperation with South Korean financial institutions to help advance large-scale projects in sectors such as housing construction and energy.
The prime minister also suggested closer collaboration on Mongolia's transition to renewable energy, making use of the country's geographic advantages and natural resources, senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a briefing after the meeting.
In response, Lee said the two sides "should continue to advance cooperation across a wide range of areas, including those sectors, through close communication between relevant government agencies."
Uchral further said he would “step up efforts to expand economic cooperation to usher in a golden age of Korea-Mongolia relations.”
The Mongolian prime minister told Lee that he had closely followed videos of the South Korean president's interactions with the public and his open and transparent approach to governance. Uchral added that "Lee's leadership style serves as an example for Mongolian politicians," including himself, according to Kang.
In a separate meeting with Byambatsogt, Lee called for strong parliamentary backing to deepen bilateral cooperation and expressed "very high expectations" for the future development of Korea-Mongolia relations.
"Particularly, the role of parliament is very important. I hope that you, Mr. Speaker, will take a special interest in and provide strong support for the development of Korea-Mongolia relations," Lee said in his opening remarks.
"I hope that this summit will serve as an opportunity to build a truly new and deeper relationship between Korea and Mongolia," he said.
Byambatsogt said Lee's state visit — the first by a South Korean president in 15 years — marked "a highly significant milestone in opening a golden age in bilateral relations."
Among the areas of cooperation, Byambatsogt highlighted healthcare cooperation, saying a bilateral agreement signed Thursday to build Mongolia's second National Cancer Center would help improve the country's healthcare services while deepening cooperation in the sector.
"Lee and the parliamentary speaker agreed that the two countries' legislatures should play a substantive role in ensuring the steady implementation of the summit's outcomes and newly agreed cooperation projects," Kang said following the meeting.
Lee additionally called on Byambatsogt to "carry on the smooth implementation of critical minerals cooperation agreed upon by the two leaders," according to Kang.
Noting that Lee was well aware of Byambatsogt's interest in the livestock sector, Kang said the president expressed hope that the two sides would further expand cooperation in livestock and agriculture.
The meeting was attended by Sukhee Sukhbold, Mongolia's ambassador to South Korea; Gombojav Zandanshatar, former prime minister; Badmaanyambuu Bat-Erdene, a member of parliament and chair of the Mongolia-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group; members of parliament Ravdan Batbold, Munkh-Soyol and Duger Regdel; and Deputy Foreign Minister Amartuvshin.
According to Kang, Bat-Erdene said, "Exchanges and reciprocal visits between lawmakers from the two countries are actively taking place." Bat-Erdene added that he had met with a South Korean parliamentary delegation the previous day and discussed ways to enhance legislative transparency and implementation and reduce duplicative legislation through the use of artificial intelligence.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
