Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan attended the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 12, as well as the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held on the same day.
At the ARF Meeting, the 27 member countries had an in-depth discussion on such key matters as the North Korean nuclear issue and the South China Sea issue. They also reviewed ongoing and future ARF joint projects to be implemented from 2012 to 2013 concerning non-traditional security issues, including maritime security, cyber security, and disaster response.
The participating countries to the EAS had a candid discussion on ways to respond to challenges facing the region, including the global financial crisis, natural disasters and maritime security. They also reviewed the progress made in joint projects in six priority areas of cooperation (environment, education, energy, avian influenza, finance and connectivity), and discussed the future direction for the development of the EAS framework.
During discussions, Minister Kim explained the situation on the Korean Peninsula and urged member countries’ continuous interest and support to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. He also announced the ROK’s plans to jointly conduct the ARF Disaster Relief Exercise (DiREX) with Thailand in 2013 to improve the region’s disaster response capabilities.
ROK-US-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Minister Kim, Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Clinton, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Koichiro Gemba met at the Peace Palace on July 12.
The three Foreign Ministers concurred that the latest meeting provided a very timely and useful opportunity to have in-depth discussion on a variety of issues, including the North Korean issue, regional cooperation, such as ASEAN, the EAS and the ARF, and international issues. They adopted the Trilateral Joint Press Statement(see attached) as an outcome document of the meeting.
Trilateral Joint Press Statement
ROK-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Minister Kim also met with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, on July 12 to exchange views on bilateral relations and the situation in the region.
The two sides took note of the smooth progress of the ROK-China FTA negotiations and concurred that the high-level exchanges between the two countries this year have been a strong boost to the ROK-China strategic cooperative partnership. Minister Kim explained the ROK’s position on the signing of the ROK-Japan Agreement on the Protection of Classified Information, and expressed hope for enhancing friendly cooperation with China on law enforcement and security. The two sides also agreed to continue cooperation to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
