22/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - Catherine Ashton to visit Seoul on 23 May. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will visit the Republic of Korea on 23 May, with the aim of consolidating the legal and institutional framework governing EU-Korea relations by signing a framework participation agreement. This agreement aims at facilitating future South Korean participation in EU common security and defence policy operations. In Seoul, Ashton will meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. They will discuss a broad range of bilateral and international issues, especially the state of the strategic partnership, security cooperation, non-proliferation and recent developments in their respective neighbourhoods including the DPRK, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and North East Asia cooperation. (CG)