South Korea, Pacific Islands to strengthen security cooperation
South Korean and Pacific Islands leaders have agreed to strengthen development and security cooperation after a two-day summit in Seoul.
The summit, which is the first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit, is the third in a week between Pacific Island leaders and a large economy, following meetings with India and the United States.
A joint declaration from the summit recognised shared values of “freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights” and the “rules-based regional and international order”.
A statement issued after the summit between South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and 17 leaders and representatives from the Pacific Island Forum said “peace and stability in the Pacific region are interlinked with global peace and stability”.
“The Leaders acknowledge the need to strengthen development cooperation and security collaboration including maritime security, climate security, energy security, cyber security, human security, public health and transnational security,” it said.
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South Korea also said it would double the scale of its development assistance to Pacific Island Countries by 2027, and supported the Pacific Islands push to preserve their maritime zones – a vital source of fishing revenue – even if climate change causes small island states to disappear beneath rising seas.
The Pacific Islands span 40 million square km (15 million square miles) of ocean between the United States and Asia, and Western allies have moved to boost their engagement amid concerns over China’s security ambitions for the strategic waters and economic leverage among the small island states.
South Korea and the Pacific Islands shared the view the ocean should be kept free of radioactive waste, and the need for international consultation and scientific assessment, the statement said, a reference to concern over Japan’s plan to release water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
