South Korea, China, Japan to Hold First Arctic Talks This Week

South Korea, Japan and China plan to hold their first ever Arctic cooperation talks.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korea, Japan and China plan to hold their first ever talks on Arctic cooperation on April 28, the Korean Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Diplomats, officials and scientists will meet in the Korean capital Seoul to update colleagues on their countries’ policies in the Arctic and look for opportunities to expand their three-way cooperation.

The Arctic dialogue will be presided by South Korean Arctic Affairs Ambassador Kim Chan-woo and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Ma Xinmin and Kazuko Shiraishi.

The three neighbor countries agreed to cooperate on the Arctic at a trilateral summit in November 2015, the Korean ministry added.

South Korea, Japan and China are three of the 12 non-Arctic countries that were granted observer status at the Arctic Council, a forum for the eight original Arctic states.