President Moon Jae-in held a summit with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in the Swedish city of Saltsjobaden.
 
The two leaders met on Saturday to discuss ways to promote bilateral ties and boost cooperation in science and technology as well as global issues.
 
President Moon expressed gratitude toward Sweden for the constructive role it has played in peace-building on the Korean Peninsula, noting the Nordic country's hosting of a trilateral meeting between the two Koreas and the U.S. earlier this year.

Prime Minister Lofven said Stockholm’s support for Seoul's efforts to bring peace to the peninsula would continue.

The two leaders agreed to ensure that Moon's visit to Sweden, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between their two countries, serves as a foundation for the future of Seoul-Stockholm ties.

They also agreed to expand bilateral trade and investment and broaden areas of cooperation in sectors such as science, technology and the environment.

Moon and Lofven also exchanged ideas on efforts to create a more inclusive, fair society and policies on welfare and gender equality, and signed memorandums of understanding on industrial cooperation, private sector support, startups and defense.

In a joint news conference that took place after the summit, Moon said working-level talks must precede the U.S.-North Korea summit, noting that the leaders of the two countries are still expressing a willingness to talk to one another. 

The summit comes during the last leg of President Moon’s week-long trip to Northern Europe, with stops in Finland, Norway and Sweden.
  
During his first stop in Finland, Moon and Prime Minister Antti Rinne discussed cooperation on areas including trade, investment and startups. Collaboration on telecommunications, health care and energy were also on the agenda.
 
In a key note speech delivered at the Oslo Forum in Norway, Moon stressed inter-Korean peace and expressed hope the day will soon come when peninsula peace contributes to regional peace and ultimately joint prosperity in Asia and Europe.
 
The president is set to arrive back in Seoul on Sunday local time.