John Key
5 July, 2010
Republic of Korea- New Zealand Joint Press Release

1. At the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak, Prime Minister John Key visited the Republic of Korea and held a Summit meeting with the President on 5 July 2010. This followed President Lee's visit to New Zealand in March 2009.

2. At the outset, Prime Minister Key expressed condolences and solidarity to the government and people of the Republic of Korea over the sinking of the vessel Cheonan in March.

3. During the meeting, the two Leaders discussed the bilateral relationship as well as regional and global issues.

4. The two Leaders recalled their Joint Statement adopted on the occasion of President Lee's visit to New Zealand and reviewed progress in the bilateral relationship. They reaffirmed the strength, vibrancy and breadth of the relationship built on strong historic ties, shared values and mutual commitment to regional peace and security.

Bilateral Cooperation

5. On the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Korean War, President Lee expressed his appreciation to the government of New Zealand and its Korean War veterans for their contribution and sacrifices. Prime Minister Key welcomed the opportunity for New Zealand to join in the Republic of Korea's commemorative activities. The two leaders reaffirmed strong and long-standing friendship, and agreed to further expand the bilateral relationship in the years to come.

6. The two Leaders welcomed the continued high frequency of contacts between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand through visits by Ministers, parliamentarians and senior officials from both countries, including annual Foreign Ministers' meetings, defence contacts and other exchanges. They commended the strong people-to-people linkages underpinning the inter-governmental ties. They agreed to continue working together to enhance tourism and utilize fully the Working Holiday Schemes in both countries.

7. The two Leaders discussed progress in the negotiations on a Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. They reaffirmed their expectation to conclude the Korea-New Zealand FTA as early as possible. Both recognised the mutual benefits in working closely together towards enhanced trade and economic links and the opportunities existing for new trade in both directions.

8. The two Leaders agreed, based on mutual interests, to promote co-operation in the fields of energy and natural resources, by utilising experts' experiences and potential for co-operation. They also welcomed expansion of bilateral cooperation in the field of infrastructure, including Broadband.

9. The two Leaders expressed their strong commitment further to deepen cooperation in education, culture, film, ICT and in research, science and technology, including in areas of climate change, agriculture and forestry. They noted that the two countries would be looking to strengthen ties on Antarctica following the maiden voyage of the Korean Icebreaker Araon to Antarctica this year through New Zealand.

10. The two Leaders noted that 2012 would mark fifty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. They agreed to expand people to people exchange and cultural cooperation, including through Korea-New Zealand Year of Friendship in 2012, New Zealand's intention to re-establish a Consulate in Busan headed by an Honorary Consul

Regional Cooperation

11. President Lee expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Key for New Zealand's support with regard to the Cheonan incident. Prime Minister Key reaffirmed his support by condemning North Korea's attack on Cheonan and expressing his condolences to the bereaved families for the tragic loss of life. He also reiterated New Zealand's ongoing commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, including through personnel deployment to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) and support for efforts to achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea.

12. Prime Minister Key congratulated President Lee on the Republic of Korea's hosting of the next Nuclear Security Summit to take place in 2012. The two Leaders acknowledged both countries' significant contribution to international counter-proliferation efforts, including through the Proliferation Security Initiative.

13. The two Leaders affirmed their commitment to strengthen regional cooperation such as the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, APEC, etc and pledged to continue to work even more closely together in these settings. The Leaders undertook to strengthen efforts to advance the discussion on the economic integration of East Asia, including the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA).

14. The two Leaders observed that both countries had an interest in the security of the wider region and shared views on challenges in the Pacific and Afghanistan and their countries' contributions in these areas.

Global Cooperation

15. The two Leaders discussed the global economic challenge and measures taken by each government to address the domestic implications of this challenge. Prime Minister Key commended Korea on its strong recovery and leadership in global economic processes.

16. President Lee referred to the outcome of the G20 meeting in Toronto and explained Korea's priorities for hosting the next G20 meeting in Seoul in November. The Leaders recognised the importance of the G20 process to both G20 member and non-member countries alike, and President Lee reaffirmed his commitment to G20 outreach in the lead up to the Seoul Summit.

17. The two Leaders underscored the critical importance of fighting against protectionism and working to reduce barriers to investment or trade in goods and services. They reaffirmed their commitment to the multilateral trading system and to a successful conclusion of the Doha Round.

18. The two Leaders exchanged information on the critical importance of responding to climate change. They welcomed the launch of Korea's Global Green Growth Institute to address climate change and support developing countries in the promotion of green growth and New Zealand's work in establishing the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

ENDS

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