1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the first working-level virtual meeting among countries in the region with the aim of launching the “Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health” on the evening of December 29.

o The Initiative proposed by President Moon Jae-in in his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly in September is a regional cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening joint response capacity among regional countries that are geographically close to each other and carrying out robust people-to-people and material exchanges, in response to transboundary health security crises including COVID-19 and the emergence of other new infectious diseases.

2. The working-level virtual meeting held in the form of track 1.5 brought together director-level diplomatic and health officials and working-level officials of the Embassies in Korea from six countries -- Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and Mongolia -- as well as civilian experts in the areas of health, disease control, and international relations.

3. In her welcoming remarks delivered via video, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha stressed the importance of mid- to long-term regional cooperation not only in tackling the current COVID-19 pandemic, but also in preparing for health security risks, including the emergence of other new infectious diseases. She also asked the participants to exchange constructive views to further expand related cooperation, starting from this meeting.

o In addition, Foreign Minister Kang expressed hope for North Korea’s participation in the Initiative in the future, and said that the spirit of inclusive cooperation and solidarity which the Initiative nurtures will also contribute to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

4. The participants shared each country’s exemplary cases of COVID-19 response, and had in-depth discussions on ways of regional cooperation and policy direction in preparation for transboundary health security crises.

o The participants stressed the importance of identifying specific areas for cooperation and developing programs to continue to develop the “Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health,” and agreed to continue consultations to further solidify regional cooperation, including increasing the number of cooperation partners and the scope of cooperation and holding discussions on a regular basis.

5. Meanwhile, on December 28, as part of efforts to pursue the “Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health,” a track 2 webinar chaired by Ambassador for Global Health Security Lee Jong-koo and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took place. The policy proposals made by experts at the webinar were shared at this meeting to launch the Initiative, which helped facilitate policy discussions based on scientific knowledge among the participants.

6. The track 1.5 working-level virtual meeting on the “Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health” served as an opportunity for countries in the region not only to cooperate in responding to the current COVID-19 situation but also to take the first step in reinforcing disease control and health cooperation in the mid- to long-term.

o In addition, the process of communicating to expand and deepen the Initiative is expected to help the related countries build practices of dialogue and cooperation in Northeast Asia.