TCS

On 9 January 2025, Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup, Deputy Secretary-General ZUSHI Shuji and Deputy Secretary-General YAN Liang (collectively referred to as “7th Consultative Board”) of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (hereinafter referred to as “TCS”) paid a courtesy call on H.E. DAI Bing, Ambassador of China to the ROK. Secretary-General LEE congratulated Ambassador DAI on his assumption of duty and expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for its continuous support of the TCS and its efforts in promoting trilateral cooperation. Following the 9th Trilateral Summit last year, the TCS has actively advanced the implementation of the meeting outcomes, organizing a series of initiatives and activities that align closely with the principles outlined in the Joint Declaration. He said that TCS will continue to diligently implement relevant exchange programs to support the growth of trilateral cooperation. Ambassador DAI expressed appreciation for the courtesy call by the 7th Consultative Board and emphasized his commitment to advancing the China-Korea strategic cooperative partnership. Highlighting the shared interests and close ties between China, Japan, and Korea as major global political and economic entities, he called for continued efforts toward mutually beneficial cooperation and promised to support the work of the TCS going forward. During the meeting, SG LEE extended deep condolences for the tragic loss of life caused by the devastating earthquake in China’s Xizang autonomous region.▲Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup and Ambassador DAI Bing▲Group Photo

On January 7, 2025, Director General MAEKAWA Naoyuki of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Seoul Office visited the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) and met with Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup and Deputy Secretary-General ZUSHI Shuji.Secretary-General LEE and DSG ZUSHI warmly welcomed the JETRO Seoul delegation, shared insights on the economic trends of the three countries and introduced the TCS's initiatives. Director General MAEKAWA outlined JETRO's roles and functions and shared the organizationʼs plans to promote Japanese business growth overseas.Both parties expressed their hopes for the TCS and JETRO to strengthen mutual collaboration and enhance cooperation in the economic field.▲Director General MAEKAWA Naoyuki of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Seoul and SG LEE▲Group Photo

TCS Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup paid a courtesy visit to Mr. HONG Seok-hyun, Chairman of JoongAng Holdings, on January 3, 2025, to discuss the current state of trilateral cooperation and exchange views on the direction of future development.SG LEE expressed his gratitude for JoongAng Ilbo’s efforts to promote the importance of trilateral cooperation, highlighting the newspaper’s significant contribution to fostering such cooperation through media networking among the three countries. In particular, he emphasized the pivotal role of the Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum (NATF), which was jointly organized by JoongAng Ilbo, Xinhua News Agency, and Nihon Keizai Shimbun, toward advancing trilateral cooperation through insightful policy implications and requested JoongAng Ilbo’s continued support and cooperation. The NATF was instrumental in the establishment of the TCS and the development of the Trilateral Common Vocabulary Dictionary (TCVD) for the three countries. Both Chairman HONG and SG LEE agreed that resuming the NATF would contribute to the stable and sustainable development of trilateral cooperation, and they pledged to collaborate on this matter.▲ Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup paid a courtesy visit to Mr. HONG Seok-hyun, Chairman of JoongAng Holdings.

The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) announced the selection of the Chinese character "未来/未來," meaning "future," as the CJK Spirit Word of the Year for 2025. The selection reflects the three countries' shared commitment to building a promising future together, which is particularly meaningful as 2025-2026 marks the beginning of the China-Japan-ROK Cultural Exchange Years. From November 1 to 30, 2024, over 15,299 citizens from the three nations participated in the selection process by voting for one Chinese character out of the 6 candidate characters, which is 52 % more than the year 2023."未来/未來 (future)" received the highest number of votes, gathering 3,136 votes out of a total of 15,299 votes. Runners-up included "友好 (friendly)" (3,017 votes) and "理解/理解 (understand)" (2,939 votes). "The chosen word '未来/未來' reflects our citizens' shared optimism and determination to build stronger ties in the future. This word serves as a reminder that while we may face challenges today, our shared future holds immense potential ,” said LEE Hee-sup, Secretary General of TCS, “The character '未来/未來' in all three languages represents not just time ahead, but also opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and mutual growth." Now in its third year, the CJK Spirit Word of the Year campaign continues to promote interaction and cultural exchange among citizens of the three countries, which share the common Chinese characters. The campaign has seen growing participation, following "和合 (harmony)" in 2023 and "交流 (exchange)" in 2024.