Yoon holds summits with leaders of 5 Pacific island nations

President Yoon Suk Yeol held back-to-back bilateral summits with the leaders of five Pacific island nations in Seoul on Monday and pledged to build “trust-based, sustainable” cooperative partnerships, his office said.

He met bilaterally with the leaders of the Cook Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Niue and Palau on the margins of the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit that kicked off its two-day run on the day. Yoon had summits with the leaders of five other Pacific island nations on Sunday.

“(South Korea) will build just, trust-based and sustainable cooperative relations with Pacific island countries,” Yoon was quoted by his spokesperson, Lee Do-woon, as saying during the summits. “Let’s devise and share a sustainable way for the use of the Pacific while protecting the Pacific together with South Korea, a Pacific nation.”

Yoon also pledged to strengthen “tailored” support for each Pacific island country, while noting that South Korea respects the independence and sovereignty of all countries and the rules-based international order, according to the spokesperson.

In the summit with Mark Brown, the prime minister of the Cook Islands, Yoon said that the summit between South Korea and the Pacific island nations will mark a “historic” milestone in bilateral cooperation.

Brown voiced hope for cooperation in the development of resources, such as manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper, according to Yoon’s office.

In the talks with President David Kabua of the Marshall Islands, Yoon said that Seoul is considering establishing a diplomatic mission in the Marshall Islands.

Kabua expressed his appreciation for South Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) support for his country, and his country’s support for Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in its southeastern city of Busan.

Speaking with Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Yoon expressed his wish for the Solomon Islands’ successful hosting of the 2023 Pacific Games slated for November and pledged to provide support for transport vehicles for participating athletes.

In the summit with Niue’s Premier Dalton Tagelagi, Yoon noted that the establishment of diplomatic ties with Niue would be meaningful as South Korea would then have diplomatic relations with all of the Pacific Island nations.

Talking with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr., Yoon called for his continued interest in South Korean businesses’ efforts to participate in various infrastructure projects in Palau.

Source: Yonhap News Agency