Deputy FM meets British lawmakers for talks on N. Korea, Ukraine

SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Yonhap) -- Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Eui-hae has met with a delegation of British lawmakers to discuss bilateral relations and major regional issues, including the Korean Peninsula and the war in Ukraine, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.

Chung met with a six-member delegation, led by Alicia Kearns of the House of Commons and including two members of the House of Lords, Godfrey Bewicke-Copley and Tessa Blackstone, in Seoul the previous day, according to the ministry.

The two sides exchanged views on regional developments, including the Korean Peninsula, Ukraine and the Strait of Hormuz, and agreed to strengthen coordination at international forums, such as the Group of 20 (G20).

Kearns wished a speedy recovery for South Korean soldiers injured in September's land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) while expressing hope that an improved free trade agreement between Seoul and London would be signed soon, the ministry said.

The lawmaker also pledged to work for cooperation with South Korea in the British Parliament.

Chung stressed the need for stronger bilateral cooperation amid growing global uncertainties, and expressed hope for deeper ties in the economy, defense and supply chains, among other sectors, the ministry said.

In September, three South Korean soldiers were injured, two of them seriously, in a land mine explosion in the DMZ caused by mines laid by North Korea, an allegation Pyongyang has denied.