Korean foreign minister visits Iran for first time in 14 years 한국 외교장관 14년만의 첫 HD

South Korea′s Foreign Minister Yun Byung－se is due in Iran this Satursday... to meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. It will be the first time in 14 years for a South Korean foreign affairs chief to make a trip to Tehran. Its significance and what we can expect from this historic meeting － Arirang News′ Kwon Soa is live in the studio with me. Soa， it seems that a lot of significance is being placed on the two foreign ministers′ meeting this time around... and for good reason， I believe？ Good evening， Conn－young That′s because it′s not just the first time since 2001，... when South Korea′s former Foreign Minister Han Seung－soo visited the country，... but also the first time since Iran′s landmark nuclear deal. And this is crucial as Seoul and the international community are aiming at denuclearizing North Korea. The deal between Iran and six world powers，... struck in July，...after over a decade－long deadlock，... involves the curbing of Iran′s nuclear program in exchange for relieving sanctions. The historic agreement put the spotlight quickly on North Korea afterwards，... as many wish for the communist regime to benchmark Tehran′s decision. And this issue is expected to be the main theme on the table when Seoul′s foreign minister Yun Byung－se meets his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif，... whom he will be meeting for the third time，... since taking office. And to set up the table，... the two will be evaluating how Iran′s denuclearization progress has been going so far，... and what′s expected in the future. But also，... State of Affairs in the Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian region will be on the agenda，... as well as Seoul－Tehran bilateral ties. Those are also expected to be discussed between Yun and Iran′s President Hassan Rouhani，... during Yun′s one－day trip. Let′s talk about where bilateral relations between Seoul and Tehran stand at this point. The two established diplomatic ties back in 1962. Five years later Korea opened its embassy in Iran，... while the Iranian embassy in Korea opened in 1975. On the economic front，... trade accounted for 8－point－6 billion U.S. dollars last year，... with 4－point－1 billion in exports to Iran，... and 4－point－5 billion imports to Korea. But，... what′s also important to mention is Iran′s relations with NORTH Korea... which are very close，... especially when it comes to their cooperation in developing nuclear material. In terms of military ties， their alliance was demonstrated back in the 1980s during the Iran－Iraq war，... when Pyongyang stood by Tehran，... supporting it with weaponry. That′s surely another reason why Seoul should be talking with Tehran，... but Soa， on his way to the meeting with Zarif，... Minister Yun stopped by in Luxembourg. Yes，.. the Asia－Europe foreign minister′s meeting，... which wraps up today，... under the theme of ″working together for a sustainable and secure future.″ That for Yun was a good occasion to call on the ASEM