Declaration Adopted at Korea-Pacific Island Countries Summit
ODA Increased to $39.9 Million by 2027
Firm Response to North Korean Threats and Protection of Oceans from Radiation
Foreign Ministers' Meetings Every Two Years and Continued Summits
President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 29th that South Korea and the Pacific Island countries have agreed to continuously expand their cooperation. The Presidential Office explained that this marks the establishment of a solid partnership with the Pacific Island countries, which have emerged as a strategic hub in the Indo-Pacific region amid the US-China hegemonic competition, and that South Korea has laid the groundwork for its Indo-Pacific strategy as a global pivotal state.
On the same day, President Yoon held the 1st Korea-Pacific Island Countries Summit at the State Guest House in Cheong Wa Dae and adopted the "Leaders' Declaration: Partnership for a Resilient Pacific of Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity." This meeting was the first multilateral summit held in South Korea since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
President Yoon, along with the leaders of 12 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) member countries (including two French overseas territories), deputy prime ministers and ministers from five countries, and the PIF Secretary-General, attended the meeting to explore cooperation measures over two sessions: "Current Status and Future Development Directions of Korea-Pacific Island Cooperation" and "Regional Situation and Cooperation on the International Stage."
In his opening remarks at the summit, President Yoon emphasized a partnership of mutual growth, stating, "Today’s meeting will be an important milestone signaling a new beginning in cooperation between both sides," and added, "As neighbors sharing the vast Pacific Ocean on the same boat, I hope Korea and the Pacific Island countries will sail vigorously toward common prosperity."
President Yoon highlighted that South Korea’s "Indo-Pacific Strategy for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity," announced last year, aligns with the PIF’s "2050 Blue Pacific Continent Strategy," released in July last year. He said, "I intend to join forces with the leaders here to pursue a partnership of mutual growth between PIF and the Republic of Korea."
Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and Chair of the PIF, expressed, "We are pleased to have the opportunity to exchange and discuss areas of mutual interest, such as climate change, disaster response, ocean governance, marine and fisheries, people-to-people exchanges, and sustainable economic development," adding, "As the Blue Pacific Continent, we hope to continue our ongoing partnership and maintain a Pacific principle of dialogue and participation."
Regarding specific cooperation directions between Korea and the Pacific Island countries, he stressed, "The crises of climate change, natural disasters, food security, health, and marine fisheries, which are directly linked to the survival and prosperity of the Pacific Island countries, can only be overcome through solidarity and cooperation," and emphasized, "We will deepen cooperation while firmly supporting the role of PIF and the partnership of all member countries under the one Blue Pacific principle."
In the first session, President Yoon expressed his intention to expand two-way communication by increasing local diplomatic missions. He also stated plans to increase official development assistance (ODA) for Pacific Island countries and the Korea-PIF cooperation fund, and to implement tailored development cooperation projects for individual countries to ensure sustainable partnerships. He promised to participate in providing customized technical support to address the climate change crisis in the Pacific Island countries. Furthermore, he pledged to integrate South Korea’s economic growth experience sharing program into the "Korea-Pacific Island Countries Blue Pacific Capacity Building Project" and to expand its personnel more than threefold.
In the second session, President Yoon emphasized strong solidarity on regional and global issues. In particular, he urged, "North Korea is repeatedly threatening provocations with nuclear missile tests using the Pacific as a shooting range," and added, "Since peace on the Korean Peninsula is peace in the Pacific, let us firmly respond together to North Korea’s threats and provocations."
Subsequently, both sides included in the Leaders' Declaration six chapters setting cooperation directions to maintain peace and stability in the region and realize a prosperous and resilient Pacific. First, it included mutual support for South Korea’s "Indo-Pacific Strategy for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity" and PIF’s "2050 Blue Pacific Continent Strategy."
They agreed to establish comprehensive security cooperation in areas such as maritime, climate, energy, cyber, and health, and to strengthen South Korea’s support for economic development. The declaration also included a commitment to double South Korea’s ODA to the Pacific Island countries, increasing it to $39.9 million (approximately 53 billion KRW) by 2027.
Amid controversy over the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the declaration emphasized "international consultation, international law, scientific assessment, and marine protection from environmental pollution caused by radioactive substances."
The Pacific Island countries welcomed South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo, and South Korea requested support in elections for the United Nations Security Council non-permanent membership and other matters.
Furthermore, both sides agreed to hold foreign ministers’ meetings every two years and to continue holding summits. A separate "Action Plan for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Pacific," detailing specific cooperation projects divided into resilience, capacity building, and connectivity revitalization, was also announced.
The Presidential Office stated that this declaration "is expected to present a blueprint for future cooperation between both sides and become a historic milestone in the long-term development of their relationship."
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