1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is on a tour of the South Pacific region as part of the diplomacy of the Republic of Korea toward the Pacific Rim region, made an official visit to New Zealand on September 12 and 13, following his visit to Australia on September 11. In New Zealand, he held a meeting and a luncheon with Foreign Minister Murray McCully, in which the two sides had in-depth discussions on ways to increase substantive economic cooperation in the wake of the formal signing of the ROK-New Zealand FTA in March 2015; the situation in East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula; ways to promote cooperation on the multilateral stage between the ROK and New Zealand, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

2. Minister Yun’s visit to New Zealand was made at the invitation of the government of New Zealand and in a bid to substantially upgrade the bilateral relations in the wake of the official visit of Prime Minister John Key to the ROK in March 2015; and to implement the agreement between the heads of the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in addressing regional and global issues.

3. On September 13, Minister Yun paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister John Key and exchanged views with him on key bilateral issues, including high-level exchanges and the ratification of the ROK-NZ FTA.

4. In their meeting, the Foreign Ministers of the ROK and New Zealand agreed to work closely together for the early ratification and entry into force of the bilateral FTA. Furthermore, in addition to the FTA, in order to broaden the institutional foundation to promote bilateral economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, they agreed to move forward with negotiations to conclude a Social Security Agreement and to revise the bilateral Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.

◦ Minister Yun asked for New Zealand’s cooperation for the mutual recognition of marine licenses so that the ROK’s deep-sea fishing vessels can continue operations in New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) even after New Zealand’s revised Fisheries Act is brought into force in 2016.

◦ The two Ministers agreed to work more closely together toward a sustainable development of the Antarctic and its surrounding waters as well as the preservation of the Antarctic.

5. Minister Yun explained in detail the current situation in North Korea, the recent provocations by North Korea and the process that had led to the conclusion of the inter-Korean agreement on August 25. And he highlighted the importance of the international community sending to North Korea a firm, consistent message, conveying zero tolerance toward North Korea’s nuclear program. In particular, the Minister, underscoring the importance of a thorough implementation of the hard-won August 25 inter-Korean agreement, called for active cooperation from New Zealand, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, in preventing North Korea from launching strategic provocations.

◦ In response, Minister McCully reaffirmed support for the ROK government’s policies and initiatives, including the initiative for a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, which are designed to manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a stable manner and pave the way for its peaceful unification. With regard to North Korea and its nuclear issue, he expressed New Zealand’s willingness to contribute in a way that befits its status as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

6. With respect to issues concerning East Asia and the Pacific region, the two Ministers noted with appreciation that their two countries have worked together as like-minded countries at major cooperative mechanisms on political, security and economic matters, including the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC). They agreed to continue bilateral cooperation at these cooperative mechanisms for peace, stability and cooperation in the region.

◦ Minister Yun explained the ROK government’s efforts to promote a virtuous circle in the situation in Northeast Asia, including President Park Geun-hye’s recent visit to China and efforts to hold an ROK-Japan-China bilateral summit meeting. Minister McCully commended such efforts and voiced hope for continued advances in the ROK-Japan-China relations.

◦ Minister McCully, explaining the current situation in the Pacific region as well as the progress in the discussions at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and other major cooperative mechanisms in the region, expressed hope for cooperation with the ROK in that regard. Minister Yun explained the current cooperation between the ROK and Pacific Island countries, including the ROK-PIF Cooperation Fund, and conveyed willingness to work closely with New Zealand and other countries in the region in addressing climate change, development cooperation, fishery resources management and renewable energy.

7. On September 12, Minister Yun visited and laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial in Dove Myer Robinson Park, Auckland. He also met New Zealand’s Korean War veterans and expressed gratitude to them for the sacrifice and dedication they had made to safeguard the ROK’s liberal democracy.

8. Minister Yun, after his visit to New Zealand is scheduled to visit Fiji, a major Pacific island country, on September 14. The Minister’s visit to the three Pacific countries of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, together with his visit to Africa in July and the “Eurasia Express” project in August, carries significance in connecting the ROK’s diplomatic horizons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the globe.

◦ In particular, during Minister Yun’s visit to New Zealand, the two sides held in-depth discussions on ways to work together on the Antarctic and climate change. On August 31, the ROK attended the foreign ministerial Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER), held in Anchorage, the US, and engaged in intensive discussions with the US and other member countries of the Arctic Council on ways to achieve a sustainable development of the Arctic and its surrounding waters and to address climate change. Through the Minister’s visit to New Zealand, the ROK is seen to have demonstrated its commitment to contributing to scientific and technological research activities in the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic.


* unofficial translation