Park Jin Meets with ROK-China-Japan Deputy Ministers "Cooperation for Holding Trilateral Summit within the Year"

Ahead of the High-Level Korea-China-Japan Meeting on the 26th
Meeting with Vice Minister-Level Officials
"Urging Close Cooperation to Enable Hosting Within the Year"

Foreign Minister Park Jin conveyed to the vice minister-level officials from the three countries preparing for the Korea-China-Japan summit, “As the chair country of the 9th Korea-China-Japan summit, I ask the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) representatives to cooperate closely to enable the summit to be held within this year.”

The foreign ministries of Korea, China, and Japan are conducting a series of consultations in Seoul over two days starting today to prepare for the trilateral summit. The Korea-China-Japan summit has not been held for four years since the last meeting in Chengdu, China in 2019.

On the afternoon of the 25th, Minister Park met with the senior officials representing the three countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu: Jeong Byeong-won, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea; Funakoshi Takehiro, Director-General of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Nong Long, Deputy Director-General of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said, “There is great public interest in revitalizing the trilateral consultative body that has been stagnant for a long time.” He added, “It is important to produce tangible results that the citizens of the three countries can feel.”

On the afternoon of the 25th, Foreign Minister Park Jin is meeting with representatives of the Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From the left, Jeong Byeong-won, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Korea, Funakoshi Takehiro, Director-General for Foreign Affairs of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Park, and Nungnung, Deputy Director-General of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same day, the three countries also held a deputy director-general-level meeting, which is a working-level consultation. On the morning of the 26th, the senior officials’ meeting will hold full-scale discussions to resume the trilateral summit. Minister Park explained examples of trilateral cooperation, such as the establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) in 2011, but also seemed mindful of the repeated suspensions and resumptions of the Korea-China-Japan summit, stating, “The path we have walked has not always been smooth.”

He then proposed, “In accordance with the original spirit of the trilateral cooperation mechanism, I suggest that the three countries once again embrace each other, work closely, and communicate.” Furthermore, Minister Park said, “Next year, all three countries will serve as members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),” adding, “The international community has high expectations for the roles and responsibilities of the three countries.”

Vice Minister Jeong held consultations with Director-General Funakoshi and Deputy Director-General Nong respectively, through the Korea-Japan and Korea-China senior officials’ meetings, exchanging views on major bilateral issues. In the Korea-Japan consultations, both sides evaluated the improved bilateral relations following the government’s announcement of a solution to the forced labor compensation issue in March, and appeared to confirm their willingness to cooperate among Korea, Japan, and the United States in response to North Korea-Russia military cooperation and the threats posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

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