By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a dinner meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Winston Peters on Feb. 28.

The two ministers engaged in substantive discussions on the elevation of Korea-New Zealand relations, high-level exchanges, and practical cooperation in areas such as the economy, defense and space, as well as developments on the Korean Peninsula and key regional issues.

Minister Cho welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Peters’ visit to the Republic of Korea following the one in July last year. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the ongoing close communication and collaboration between the two like-minded countries in the region and around the globe.

In particular, the two ministers appreciated the ongoing discussions on elevating bilateral relations to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” this year which marks the tenth anniversary of the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), in accordance with what the two sides agreed to do during Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to Korea in September last year.

In addition, they welcomed the convening of the 16th meeting of the Korea-New Zealand Economic Joint Committee and the first Korea-New Zealand Economic Security Dialogue last week.

The two ministers also took note of the strong and ongoing cooperation between their countries in regional and global arenas, exemplified by the Korea-Japan-Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meetings held on the margins of the NATO Summits over the last three consecutive years. They reiterated their shared commitment to ensuring the success of the APEC Summit 2025, which will be hosted by the Republic of Korea later this year.

Furthermore, the ministers exchanged in-depth views on a wide range of Indo-Pacific and global issues, including the relations with the United States following the inauguration of the new U.S. administration, developments on the Korean Peninsula, illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, relations with China, the war in Ukraine, and issues concerning Pacific island countries. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their solidarity as like-minded nations.