Deputy Minister Lee Tae-ho Holds Vice Ministerial Talks with 7 Countries Including the US, Japan, and Australia... Discusses Regional Cooperation and Resumption of Economic Activities

Deputy Minister Emphasizes Continued Cooperation Through Multilateral Systems Including COVAX Facility

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 11th, Lee Tae-ho, the 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in a telephone consultation among deputy foreign ministers of seven regional countries to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), discussing ways to promote regional cooperation and resume economic activities.

The consultation, involving deputy foreign ministers from seven countries including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Vietnam, has been held regularly 11 times since the first meeting on March 30. This meeting was the 12th. Attendees included Stephen Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State; Akiba Takeo, Administrative Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan; Frances Adamson, Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Chris Seed, Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Harsh Shringla, Senior Deputy Foreign Secretary of India; and Nguyen Van Thao, Deputy Minister and Director General of the International Economic Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During this telephone consultation, the deputy foreign ministers exchanged views on △ promoting regional cooperation in response to COVID-19 △ resuming economic activities △ facilitating international human mobility △ development and distribution of vaccines and therapeutics △ and regional multilateral cooperation such as the East Asia Summit (EAS).

Vice Minister Lee explained that although confirmed COVID-19 cases surged mainly in the metropolitan area last August, the spread has been stabilizing due to the government’s prompt escalation of social distancing measures, continued implementation of the ‘3T (Testing, Tracing, Treatment) strategy,’ and the public’s thorough adherence to quarantine measures.

He added, "Through this experience, it is clear that successful quarantine measures must underpin economic recovery," and stated, "The government continues efforts to minimize the economic adverse effects caused by strengthened social distancing, such as promoting the payment of the second disaster relief fund targeting self-employed and small business owners."

Regarding international human mobility, he introduced that the Korean government manages overseas entries by strengthening quarantine conditions upon arrival based on country-specific risk assessments rather than full border closures, in line with the principle of openness. In particular, efforts continue to ensure essential movement, such as mandatory quarantine exemptions for important business schedules and humanitarian visits, and agreements on simplified entry procedures for economic personnel from multiple countries.

Vice Minister Lee also conveyed that, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, multifaceted efforts have been made to safely repatriate nationals stranded overseas, supporting the safe return of approximately 48,000 overseas Koreans from a total of 119 countries so far. He emphasized the importance of safe and effective vaccine and therapeutic development and supply for global economic recovery, urging continued cooperation through multilateral systems such as the COVAX Facility, the global vaccine supply mechanism, to ensure successful vaccine development and equitable access to vaccines for all countries regardless of income level.

Meanwhile, he congratulated Vietnam for successfully hosting the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers’ virtual meeting on the 9th as the ASEAN chair country, evaluating that the EAS has expanded its discussion scope as a top-level strategic forum led by heads of state to cover major regional issues such as the Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea, regional cooperation initiatives, as well as regional health security and women, security, and peace agendas in response to COVID-19.

Accordingly, the participating deputy ministers agreed on the importance of regional cooperation to overcome COVID-19 and decided to continue collaboration and communication.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.