1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the 2020 Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Intergovernmental Meeting on December 15, chaired by Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Gunn.

° The Intergovernmental Meeting is part of the “Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Platform” project, which is being carried out by the Korean government with the aim to build a practice of dialogue and cooperation in Northeast Asia. This annual Meeting has been attended by delegates of major participating countries from the region and international dialogue partners. This year’s Meeting was held in a virtual format and participated by officials of the foreign ministries of the six participating countries from the region -- Korea, China, Japan, the United States, Russia and Mongolia.

° At the Intergovernmental Meeting, under the theme of “exploring ways for post-COVID-19 multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia, including the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health,” the participants discussed ways to promote multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia for peace and prosperity in the region.

2. In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Kim voiced his expectation that Northeast Asian countries would be able to share their wisdom and ideas to promote regional peace and prosperity by jointly addressing their various challenges.

° He particularly mentioned that the unprecedented socio-economic environment prompted by COVID-19 is all the more highlighting the pressing need for regional cooperation.

3. In Session 1, the participants shared the key results of “the 2020 Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Forum” held from December 3 to 4, and reviewed various policy suggestions presented by the private sector for progress in multilateral cooperation in the region.

4. In Session 2, the Korean government gave a detailed briefing on “the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health” that calls for joint response in face of transboundary crises in health security among countries in the region that are actively engaged in people-to-people and material exchanges; and exchanged views with the other governments on specific ways to implement the Initiative.

° The Korean side explained the Korean government’s Initiative, which mainly consists of working together on response to COVID-19, a current issue, to begin with and for strengthening capacity in preparation for transboundary crises in health security in the region in the long term. The participants, recognizing the need to promote cooperation, agreed to discuss the issue together.

5. The Intergovernmental Meeting is seen to have served as a good opportunity to draw a common understanding among countries in the region on the need to pursue “the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health” amid the global spread of COVID-19 and the fluctuating regional and global situations, as well as an opportunity to explore ways to build confidence and work together for sustainable peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.