Outcome of 6th Korea–Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun co-hosted the 6th Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Tuesday morning, December 9, in Seoul with Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka as this year's chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). The two sides adopted a joint statement.

This year's meeting was the first Foreign Ministers' Meeting to which the Republic of Korea invited all PIF members and the PIF Secretariat. Attendees included leaders, ministers, vice ministers, and representatives from 17 PIF members, as well as the PIF Secretary General. Under the theme "Partnership for a Resilient, Peaceful, and Prosperous Pacific," participants held wide-ranging discussions on practical cooperation in areas-such as development cooperation, climate change, ocean, maritime affairs and fisheries, and people-to-people exchange (Session 1)-as well as on regional situation and global cooperation (Session 2).

In his opening remarks, Minister Cho underscored that Korea will continue to pursue cooperation aligned with the needs and priorities of Pacific Island countries to produce tangible outcomes. He also emphasized that Korea intends to strengthen long-term partnerships through the continued convening of regular consultative mechanisms, including the Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Senior Officials' Meeting.

Minister Agovaka, with appreciation to Korea for hosting the meeting, acknowledged Korea's contributions to the sustainable economic and social development of the Pacific Island countries, and expressed hope that Korea would continue close cooperation toward implementing the vision and priorities of the "2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent."

During Session 1, PIF members commended Korea for ensuring that its development cooperation initiatives actively reflect the priorities of the 2050 Strategy. They also expressed deep appreciation for Korea's announcement that it intends to contribute next year to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF).

During Session 2, Minister Cho explained that the Korean government is making every effort to ease military tensions and rebuild trust with North Korea in order to resume dialogue, thereby opening a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula. He expressed hope that Pacific Island countries would continue to support these efforts. The Pacific Island countries voiced support for the Korean government's position. Minister Cho also requested the interest and support of Pacific Island countries for the 4th UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), which Korea and Chile are seeking to jointly host in 2028.

Based on the outcomes of this meeting, the Korean government, as a responsible global power, will continue to advance diplomatic diversification by strengthening cooperation with key partners in the region, including Pacific Island countries. Korea will also further enhance its mutually beneficial cooperative relations with Pacific Island countries.