1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea held the 1st ROK-U.S. Dialogue on Southeast Asia and the Pacific Policy in a virtual format on 4 February from 08:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (KST) in the presence of Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of MOFA Yeo Seung-bae and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State Daniel J. Kritenbrink. 

ㅇ The Indo-Pacific Strategy-New Southern Policy Dialogue held in August 2020 (head of the ROK delegation: the Director-General for North American Affairs, MOFA) and the ROK-U.S. Policy Dialogue on ASEAN and Southeast Asia held in May 2021 (head of the ROK delegation: the Director-General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs, MOFA) were combined and launched as the ROK-U.S. Dialogue on Southeast Asia and the Pacific Policy in order to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the ROK’s New Southern Policy and the U.S.’ Indo-Pacific Strategy. 

2. In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Yeo recalled that the leaders of the two countries agreed to work to align the ROK’s New Southern Policy and the U.S.’ vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific at the ROK-U.S. Summit held in May 2021; explained the key features of the New Southern Policy as pragmatic, action-oriented, and inclusive; and stressed the need to identify specific joint projects for better cooperation between the two regional policies. 

ㅇ Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink noted that Southeast Asia and the Pacific is one of the regions in which the two countries had been working together closely based on shared values and stressed the need to jointly respond to challenges such as non-traditional security threats, COVID-19, and climate change and further expand cooperation to enhance freedom, prosperity, security, and connectivity in the region. 

3. Following the opening remarks, Director-General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs Chung Eui-hae and Director-General for North American Affairs Lim Sang woo from the ROK MOFA and Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Mark Lambert and Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jung Pak from the U.S. Department of State participated in sessions under the themes of “Policy Priorities and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the Pacific” and “Cross-Cutting Thematic Areas for Potential Cooperation” to discuss in detail ways to develop ROK-U.S. cooperation.

ㅇ The two sides reviewed the status of cooperation in the areas of cyber security and digital cooperation, maritime cooperation, law enforcement, supply chain recovery, youth exchange, energy, climate change response, and environmental protection and discussed ways to find opportunities for new joint projects. 

ㅇ With regard to Myanmar, a key regional issue, they shared concerns over the deteriorating situation despite the international community’s continued efforts to resolve the issue and agreed to closely cooperate so that the international community can continue to send a message on the situation in Myanmar.  

4. Both sides reaffirmed that the scope of the comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership between the ROK and the U.S. is expanding to include the Indo-Pacific region, confirmed support for ASEAN Centrality, and pledged to continue strengthening close communication and coordination for regional peace and enhanced prosperity. 

ㅇ Both sides also agreed to work to reflect the needs and situations on the ground and encourage close communication between the embassies of both countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific regarding specific areas of cooperation.