1. On September 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin met with Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup, Deputy Secretary-General Zushi Shuji and Deputy Secretary-General Yan Liang of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) to congratulate them on the inauguration of the 7th Consultative Board of the TCS, who began their term on September 1. Foreign Minister Park encouraged the TCS to work hard to promote trilateral cooperation under the leadership of Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup.

2. Foreign Minister Park emphasized that trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan and China is important for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Northeast Asian region and beyond. Foreign Minister Park also said that as the chair of the 9th Trilateral Summit, Korea will continue to work closely with Japan, China, and the TCS to promote the revitalization of the trilateral consultative mechanism with the goal of holding the summit within this year.

3. Foreign Minister Park commended the TCS for its efforts to promote civilian exchanges among the three countries by holding a variety of exchange events, even in the face of unprecedented challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign Minister Park also stressed that the three countries have great influence in the international community, accounting for 20% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP. Foreign Minister Park expressed hope that the TCS will continue to contribute to expanding people-to-people exchanges among the three countries, including exchanges among next generations.

4. The Consultative Board of the TCS, including Secretary-General Lee, expressed appreciation for the Korean government's interest and support for activities of the TCS. They also said that the TCS will continue to work to strengthen the foundation for trilateral cooperation among the three countries through cooperative projects in various fields, including people-to-people and cultural exchanges.