ROK and Japan Hold the 19th Meeting of Directors-General for Consular Affairs

The 19th meeting of Directors-General for Consular Affairs of the Republic of Korea and Japan took place in Seoul on April 29, co-chaired by Director-General for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Kim Wan-joong of the ROK Foreign Ministry and Director-General of the Consular Affairs Bureau Masaki Noke of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation on the full range of consular affairs, including the protection of their nationals in the other country as well as immigration matters. They drew a common understanding that substantial cooperation between the two countries on consular affairs will help promote not only people-to-people exchanges but also cooperation across the board, including political affairs, economy, social affairs and culture.

The two sides, in order to better protect their nationals, agreed to work together, including by sharing consular information, in the event of crises in third countries, such as the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Zika virus and other international epidemics, disasters and large-scale accidents.

The two sides agreed to work together for the success of the third Global Consular Forum and the symposium on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which will be held in the ROK in October and in Japan in June, respectively.

The two sides agreed to hold their next meeting in Japan in the first half of the year 2017.