1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, together with her counterparts from 14 Pacific island countries (PICs), will hold “the third Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers’ Meeting” in Seoul on December 5.

※ This meeting takes place in the ROK on a triennial basis, with the first and second of its kind held in May 2011 and November 2014, respectively.

- The annual senior officials’ meeting (SOM) is held in between Foreign Ministers’ Meetings (The SOM was held in September 2012, October 2013, October 2015 and October 2016).

* The fourteen PICs are the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

° On the sidelines of the multilateral Meeting, the ROK Foreign Minister will meet bilaterally with her counterparts from such countries as Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

※ During their bilateral foreign ministerial meeting, the ROK and Vanuatu will sign an agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports, which will allow the holders of diplomatic and official passports of the two countries to stay in the other country’s territory for up to 90 days.

2. The forthcoming Meeting themed “Sustainable Development for the Blue and Green Pacific” will consist of three sessions on development cooperation; climate change; and maritime and fisheries cooperation, respectively, during which the top diplomats will review the progress in cooperation and discuss ways to work more closely together. In the session on regional situations, they will exchange views on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and situations in diverse parts of the world.

° The session on development cooperation will cover efforts to boost bilateral development cooperation, the ROK-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Cooperation Fund, and bilateral trade, investment and tourism. The session on climate change will deal with the Paris Agreement, the new climate regime, the outcome of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), effective use of renewable energy, and the activities of the Green Climate Fund and the Global Green Growth Institute. The session on maritime and fisheries cooperation will cover management of marine and fisheries resources and relevant cooperation, and monitoring and controlling illegal fishing operations.

※ The PIF is a regional consultative mechanism among 16 PICs, Australia and New Zealand.

- The ROK joined the PIF in 1995 as a dialogue partner.

3. During their visit to the ROK from December 4 till 7, the PICs foreign ministers will also attend side events, including visits to the Global Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat and the Seoul Energy Dream Center.

4. The upcoming Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, under the slogan of “sustainable inclusive growth,” is expected to serve as an opportunity to step up cooperation with PICs, the most vulnerable parties to climate change, on development and in responding to climate change. In addition, the Pacific region being one of the main fishing grounds for the ROK’s deep-sea fishery industry and a reserve of future energy sources, the Meeting will provide a significant opportunity for the ROK government to express its commitment to bolster the foundation of maritime cooperation with PICs, including in deep-sea fishery industry, port development, and the exploration of mineral resources. Furthermore, the ROK government will use the Meeting to garner understanding on and support for its policy toward North Korea and its efforts to promote peace in the region.


* unofficial translation