Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said:

President Park said she was pleased to visit on the 130th year of diplomatic relations between the UK and South Korea and the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. The President said she was honoured to have taken part in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Korean War Memorial and said the Korean people would never forget the sacrifice of British servicemen and women during the war.

The Prime Minister said that South Korea’s rise to become the world’s 12th largest economy was the one of the greatest economic achievement of the past 100 years. Both leaders commended the growing trade relationship between the 2 countries and welcomed plans to double bilateral trade by 2020. The President praised the UK’s position as a world leader on creative industries and financial services and said the UK was an ideal economic partner for Korea. The Prime Minister offered UK support for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

On energy, they discussed innovation in growing energy sectors such as renewables and nuclear. They agreed that this is an industry which was not only vital in providing sustainable solutions on energy security and climate change, but one which could deliver new high skilled jobs in both countries.

They also discussed efforts to secure peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. The Prime Minister reiterated Britain’s strong support for efforts to ensure that the Korean peninsula is free of nuclear weapons.