ROK-UNODC Strategic Dialogue Held on January 23: First High-level Dialogue between ROK and UNODC on Cooperation to Address Transnational Crime

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held in Seoul on January 23, 2026, an ROK-UNODC Strategic Dialogue, the first high-level meeting between the two sides.

Headquartered in Vienna, UNODC was established in 1997 to support efforts of United Nations Member States to build a world safe from drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism.

This first senior-level strategic dialogue was co-chaired by Mr. Lee Chul, Director-General for International Organizations and Nuclear Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Candice Welsch, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs at UNODC. Among other Korean participants were representatives from various relevant ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Korean National Police Agency, the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

During the strategic dialogue, the two sides shared information on their respective activities on key issues, such as countering online scams in Southeast Asia, drug control cooperation, anti-corruption responses, and capacity enhancement of law enforcement agencies, and jointly explored ways to further strengthen cooperation on these issues. In addition, the two sides checked each other's policy priorities regarding transnational crime and drugs, conducted an overall review of the progress in relevant cooperation, and discussed future opportunities for collaboration.

This year, the ROK government, in cooperation with UNODC, will implement two new projects -- one designed to analyze developments regarding scam centers in the Mekong region and strengthen investigative capacities of partner countries; and the other aimed to protect residents in high-risk areas for transnational crime in Myanmar, help local communities cultivate alternative crops to illicit ones, offer them more vocational training and thereby prevent them from becoming involved in transnational crime, and support their sustainable economic self-reliance.

This strategic dialogue served as an opportunity to reaffirm the shared understanding that international cooperation is indispensable in addressing transnational crime and drug-related challenges, which are evolving into a highly sophisticated, technologically advanced, and globalized threat. It also established a basis for a more strategic and substantive partnership with UNODC, which possesses the expertise and capacity required for effective responses to transnational crime.