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Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha (left) and her Italian counterpart, Angelino Alfano, hold up plush toys of the PyeongChang mascots Soohorang and Bandabi, in Rome on Jan. 26.

By Hur SomEe and Lee Hana
Photos = Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha held meetings with her counterparts from Italy and Vatican City in Rome on Jan. 26. The foreign minister took the opportunity to discuss matters related to the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Korean Peninsula.

In her meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, Minister Kang asked for Italy’s support during the PyeongChang Olympics, pointing out that Italy had hosted the Winter Games twice, in Cortina in 1956 and in Torino in 2006.

Upon meeting Paul Gallagher, secretary for relations with states for Vatican City, Kang said that Korea will work hard to ensure that PyeongChang plays a role in reducing tension and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha (left) and Paul Gallagher, secretary for relations with states for Vatican City, take a photo holding up plush toys of the PyeongChang mascots Soohorang and Bandabi, at the Vatican Palace on Jan. 26.

Alfano said that he hopes the talks between the two Koreas and North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics will provide impetus to solving the North Korean nuclear weapons issue.

“We will continue to support the Korean government’s efforts to reduce tension and to propagate peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

Gallagher said that inter-Korean dialogue, as well as North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, were encouraging signs for the Korean Peninsula and for the world at large. He said that the Vatican would provide its support to bring peace and success to the PyeongChang Winter Games.

sehp91@korea.kr