1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), concluded the “Subsidiary Arrangement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on the Project under the ROK-PIF Cooperation Fund 2020-2023” on August 20 and agreed to support a radar satellite project of Pacific island countries (PICs) designed to eradicate Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing operations.

° The signing ceremony took place in Suva, the Republic of Fiji, in the presence of ROK Ambassador to Fiji Cho Shinhee and Secretary-General of PIF Meg Taylor, during which the PIF side extended appreciation to the ROK side for its support and voiced hope that, amid numerous difficulties triggered by the decrease in the number of vessels and personnel for the surveillance of IUU fishing in the Pacific region due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the ROK’s assistance would contribute greatly to PICs’ activities to eliminate IUU fishing operations.

2. The ROK’s project to support PICs’ surveillance of IUU fishing operations is seen to have served as an opportunity to join the international community’s efforts to root out IUU fishing, to contribute to the ROK, a large consumer of fishery products, securing a stable supply of such products, and to broaden the ROK’s