1. On Tuesday, October 29, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha held a meeting and a luncheon with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters of New Zealand, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK), during which the two Ministers exchanged views on ways to strengthen substantive cooperation between the two countries; on the situation on the Korean Peninsula; and on ways to respond to and work together in major regional and global issues.

2. Both sides recognized that the two countries are important partners that jointly participated in the Korean War, and agreed to continue broadening the horizon of bilateral relations in overall areas as vital cooperative partners that share the understanding of basic values such as democracy and market economy, as well as regional and global issues.

3. The two sides particularly noted with appreciation that the attendance of top-level officials from the two countries, such as Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Governor-General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy, at the naming ceremony of “Aotearoa,” New Zealand’s military support vessel, held in the City of Ulsan, on Friday, October 25, demonstrates close bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and defense industry, as well as special bilateral relations.

○ The two Ministers agreed to further step up bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and defense industry on the basis of such experiences of cooperation and the Defense Material Cooperation Arrangement between the relevant agencies of the two countries which was concluded in May 2019.
 
4. The two sides also agreed to deepen economic cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and infrastructure, and further bolster cooperation in the areas of hydrogen energy and research on the Antarctic.

5. In the meeting, various outcomes were drawn particularly regarding the expansion of people-to-people exchanges at the grass-root level.

○ The two sides agreed to officially launch today an e-Gate service that streamlines immigration procedures only through a facial recognition system when the ROK nationals visit New Zealand, and welcomed the launch of direct flights between Incheon and Auckland operated by Air New Zealand on November 23, 2019.

○ On the occasion of this bilateral meeting, the Agreement on Social Security between the ROK government and the government of New Zealand was signed, which enables the addition of the periods of residence in the other country when it comes to the entitlement to the pensions in one country (to take effect after completing domestic procedures in each country including winning the parliamentary approval).

○ The two sides agreed to carry out programs for exchanges of young business leaders between the two countries, and discussed ways to boost people-to-people exchanges such as expanding working holiday programs; revitalizing New Zealand’s Temporary Employment Entry program for Koreans; and continuing foreign language programs in New Zealand for adolescents living in rural areas in Korea.

6. Minister Kang explained the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and the ROK government’s inter-Korean policies, and extended gratitude to the government of New Zealand for its unwavering support for the ROK government’s efforts to achieve complete denuclearization and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and requested its continued support and cooperation.

○ In response, Minister Peters reaffirmed support for the ROK government’s policies and initiatives, explained that the government of New Zealand has been joining the efforts led by the international community for the implementation of the United Nations sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and expressed its ongoing commitment to proactively contribute to the DPRK and nuclear issues.

7. The two Ministers exchanged in-depth views on regional issues, and agreed to continue cooperation as like-minded countries within regional dialogues such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Furthermore, the two sides agreed to seek ways of joint development cooperation projects for the Pacific Island countries, while pursuing harmony and synergistic effects between the ROK’s New Southern Policy and New Zealand’s Pacific Reset.

○ The two sides agreed to work closely together concerning international organizations such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in responding to climate change through the Green Global Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

8. New Zealand Foreign Minister made his official visit to the ROK in five years after the previous one. Along with Governor-General Reddy’s visit to the ROK last week (October 24-26), this official visit is expected to serve as an opportunity to further enhance friendly and cooperative mood between the two countries, which was created through President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to New Zealand in December 2018.