By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young
President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is on an official visit to Korea, and exchanged a wide range of views on ways to promote bilateral cooperation and the regional and international situation on Sept. 4.
The two leaders expressed their pleasure that the friendly relationship between the two countries, which began with New Zealand's participation in the Korean War, is now strengthening in many ways.
As similarly positioned countries with shared values, the two leaders appreciated the adoption of the 'Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand' on this occasion, and decided to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the areas of trade and economy, science, education and people-to-people exchanges, defense and security, and regional and international cooperation.
Noting that bilateral trade has nearly doubled over the past decade, the two leaders agreed that there is room to explore more opportunities for cooperation in the future.
The two leaders also decided to launch an Economic and Security Dialogue between their foreign ministries in recognition of the increasingly important linkages between economics and security amid global uncertainty.
In light of the 10th anniversary of the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2025, the two leaders agreed to continue cooperation under the agreement and to continue negotiations to revise the Double Taxation Agreement signed in 1981.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the private sector-led space industry, and to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between national disaster management organizations, including the possibility of negotiating a memorandum of understanding to enhance information sharing and cooperation in responding to natural disasters.
The two leaders commended bilateral cooperation in promoting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, including joint efforts to monitor North Korea's evasion of UN sanctions and New Zealand's contributions to UN affairs.
The two leaders also expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of defense and security cooperation between the two countries, including the recent joint maritime patrol aircraft exercise and the New Zealand logistics support vessel's port call in Busan.
The two leaders also condemned North Korea's continued nuclear and missile development and military cooperation with Russia, and agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation to promote human rights in North Korea.
Luxon expressed his support for the bold initiatives of the South Korean government and the goals of the August 15 Unification Doctrine to achieve a denuclearized, free, peaceful, and prosperous Korean Peninsula.
Based on the discussions at the summit, the two leaders agreed to advance discussions on upgrading the current “21st Century Partnership” to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in the future.
Prime Minister Luxon also expressed his best wishes for the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit scheduled to be held in Korea in 2025.
