1. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-sessional Support Group Meeting on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy (ISG) took place in Seoul on Friday, May 3. The Republic of Korea, along with the Kingdom of Thailand, the chair of ASEAN for 2019, co-chaired the meeting. (co-chair of the ROK side: Koo Hong-seok, Director-General for South Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

o As a preparatory meeting for the ARF Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), the ARF ISG reviews the ARF’s confidence building measures and preventive diplomacy activities for the 2018-19 inter-sessional year.

2. In the Meeting, which brought together about 90 delegates from 24 ARF Participating Countries, the participants assessed the results of the 25^th ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, reviewed the confidence building measures and preventive diplomacy activities, and engaged in in-depth discussions on the future direction of the ARF (new proposals, etc.), as well as exchanging views on regional and international issues.

o Particularly in the Meeting, the participants especially stressed the importance of cooperation among countries to deal with non-traditional security issues, including countering and preventing violent extremism, as well as disaster relief. They also discussed proposals on concrete Confidence Building Measures to enhance transparency among countries in each area of cooperation and to strengthen mutual understanding.

o In addition, they discussed the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. The participating countries noted that the U.S. and North Korea have expressed their willingness to continue dialogue after the second US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi, and expected to witness substantial progress in complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

3. The outcome of the Inter-sessional Support Group Meeting will be reported to the ARF SOM, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in late May, and then finally to the ARF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

* unofficial translation