22nd Meeting of ROK Japan Joint Committee on Environmental Cooperation Held in Seoul Discussions on Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation to Address Bilateral, Regional, and[...]

1. The 22nd meeting of the ROK-Japan Joint Committee on Environmental Cooperation was held in Seoul from Thursday, April 3, to Friday, April 4. The Korean delegation was led by CHO Gye Yoen, Deputy Director-General for Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Scientific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Japanese delegation was headed by OKOCHI Akihiro, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

※ Participating Agencies

(ROK) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation

(Japan) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Environment

2. During the Committee meeting, the two sides exchanged updates on their respective domestic environmental policies and discussed avenues to enhance bilateral cooperation on pressing environmental challenges at the bilateral, regional, and global levels. Key topics included responses to climate change, efforts to tackle plastic pollution, the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), the 2025 Our Ocean Conference (April 28-30, Busan), and the marine environment.

3. Both sides welcomed the resumption of the Joint Committee meeting, held six years after the 21st session in 2019 largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They expressed their expectation that cooperation would be further strengthened - not only on bilateral efforts, such as addressing regional marine environmental issues, but also in tackling global challenges including climate change and plastic pollution.

4. In addition, the two delegations reviewed the status of ongoing cooperative projects, including joint efforts on climate monitoring technologies in Northeast Asia, and agreed to continue discussions on identifying new areas for collaboration.

5. As part of the Committee program, the delegations visited the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant on April 3, the world's largest tidal power facility, where the Korean side presented its green energy production technology and ecological restoration efforts for Lake Sihwa to the Japanese delegation.

6. Since 1994, Korea and Japan have regularly held the meeting of the Joint Committee on Environmental Cooperation to deepen mutual understanding of their environmental policies and promote practical cooperation, including joint research and information sharing. Both countries will continue to cooperate on environmental issues.