Korea Customs Service Holds the 33rd Korea-Japan Customs Directors Meeting in Tokyo, Japan

The Korea-Japan Customs Commissioners' Meeting was held in Tokyo, Japan, for the first time in over eight months. At this meeting, the customs commissioners of both countries discussed strengthening cooperation between their customs authorities.

The Korea Customs Service announced on the 23rd that Commissioner Ko Gwang-hyo held the "33rd Korea-Japan Customs Commissioners' Meeting" on the 22nd in Tokyo with Kazuhiro Ejima (江島　一彦), Director-General of the Customs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Finance.

Koh Kwang-hyo, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (second from the left), is holding the "33rd Korea-Japan Customs Commissioners' Meeting" with the Director-General of the Customs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Finance in Tokyo on the 22nd. Photo by Korea Customs Service

This meeting was arranged with the intention of ensuring that the matters discussed at the previous customs commissioners' meeting (last September) would not remain declarative but would lead to tangible results by concretely and practically strengthening customs cooperation.

At the meeting, the customs commissioners of both countries shared a common understanding that cooperation between their customs authorities at the field level contributes to social safety and economic prosperity. They reviewed the status and outcomes of past practical exchanges and sought ways to enhance future cooperation between customs authorities.

In particular, during the discussions, the customs commissioners agreed to share relevant information and strengthen joint enforcement efforts to respond to the recent surge in drug smuggling via maritime routes, including ships and container cargo.

They also shared their systems and experiences in handling the rapidly increasing volume of e-commerce customs clearance and agreed to expand practical cooperation, such as prior origin examination and verification, to enhance the utilization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP, the first free trade agreement between Korea and Japan).

Additionally, the customs commissioners agreed to support the activation of exchange cooperation at the customs field level, including support for sister customs office partnerships.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Ko, during his visit to Japan, paid a courtesy call on Masato Kanda (神田 眞人), Financial Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance, exchanging views on international economic trends, exchanges between the two customs authorities, and future cooperation plans.