Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo Meets With Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand (June 4)

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo held a vice foreign ministers’ meeting with Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand Bede Corry on the afternoon of Thursday, June 4. The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in fields such as economic security and defense, as well as regional and international affairs.

Vice Minister Park welcomed Secretary Corry’s visit to Korea and noted that it is deeply meaningful to hold this vice foreign ministers’ meeting as the first bilateral high-level consultation between the foreign ministries of the two countries since the establishment of the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP)” last year.

※ Korea and New Zealand held a bilateral summit on October 30, 2025, on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, during which they elevated their relations to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” and issued a joint statement.

Furthermore, Vice Minister Park noted that Korea and New Zealand have shared core values such as democracy and market economy and aligned stances on diverse issues for over half a century, cooperated based on mutually complementary economic structures, and collaborated as the optimal partners who have nurtured close people-to-people and cultural ties, and deep mutual trust.

He also called for close cooperation between the two sides to ensure the faithful implementation of the deliverables agreed upon when bilateral relations were elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” last year.

Secretary Corry expressed his deep appreciation for Vice Minister Park's warm hospitality and emphasized that close communication between like-minded countries such as Korea and New Zealand is becoming increasingly important amid growing uncertainty in the global landscape. In particular, he noted that Korea is the top supplier of refined oil to New Zealand, and appreciated that the two countries have maintained close communication and coordination regarding energy supply and demand amid recent developments in the Middle East.

In addition, both sides conducted  in-depth discussions on major regional and international affairs including the situations in the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, and the Pacific Island Countries, and agreed to cooperate closely in elections within international organizations.