1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyundong attended the opening session of the 2022 East Asia Cooperation Forum on December 16. In his opening remarks, Vice Minister Cho highlighted the need for multilateral cooperation in East Asia.

 ° Vice Minister Cho stated that multilateralism is required amidst the dynamic global environment to address multi-layered and complex challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, food and energy crises, climate change, and supply chain disruptions.

° Given that East Asia is highly dynamic and its economies are very interconnected, cooperation at both the multilateral and minilateral levels as well as an inclusive multilateral system is needed for climate change and economic security collaborations in the region.

° Vice Minister Cho further elaborated that East Asian countries have endeavored to enhance multilateral cooperation with governmental initiatives, and that the Korean government has also made continuous efforts to strengthen multilateral diplomacy, as demonstrated in the recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy with the vision of serving as a Global Pivotal State.

° Vice Minister Cho also emphasized that it is high time to reconvene the Trilateral Summit, which has not been held since 2019, and expressed the will of the Korean government to closely cooperate with Japan and China as the Chair.

2. The opening session was attended by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (video message) and Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat Ou Boqian. The participants of the opening session reached a common understanding that strengthening multilateral cooperation in East Asia is of the utmost importance in the face of common challenges of the global community.