Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Wednesday, and discussed cooperation in the maritime and fisheries fields, his office said.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of annual summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta and highly assessed the recent active exchanges between their countries, including their previous meeting on the margins of a Korea-Pacific island nations summit in Seoul in May.
“The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in developing deepwater resources, and in the maritime and fisheries realm,” the presidential office said in a statement.
It said Yoon explained Korea’s decision to boost official development assistance for Pacific island nations and increase the size of a Korea-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) cooperation fund to strengthen solidarity and cooperation for addressing regional challenges, including climate change, the food crisis and the digital gap.
The PIF is an intergovernmental body aimed at enhancing cooperation among 18 island countries in the region.
Yoon and Brown agreed to continue communication for a successful summit of the PIF and its dialogue partners, which will be hosted by the Cook Islands in November.
Yoon also asked for the Cook Islands’ support for Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.
SOURCE: THE KOREA TIMES/PACNEWS
