TCS

On October 29, 2024, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), led by Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup, visited Japan Kanji Museum & Library in Kyoto.The Japan Kanji Museum & Library (Kanji Museum) is an interactive museum full of surprises and discoveries, featuring exhibits that enable visitors to not only see but also touch, learn, and enjoy the exhibits, thereby encouraging more children and adults to become interested in Kanji. Kanji Museum has been cooperating with TCS, compiling Trilateral Common Vocabulary Dictionary (TCVD) and Trilateral Common Vocabulary Workbook (TCVW).Following the visit, TCS Secretary-General LEE and the Representative Director of the Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, Mr. Nobuo YAMAZAKI exchanged views on further future cooperation in areas such as cultural exchanges through Kanji. They agreed to further strengthen communication and partnership between the two organizations.▲TCS Secretary-General LEE and the Representative Director of the Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, Mr. Nobuo YAMAZAKI under the tree of 808 Commonly Used Chinese Characters in Kanji Museum▲TCS Delegation Visiting Kanji Museum

On October 28, 2024, Secretary-General of Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) Mr. LEE Hee-sup and Chancellor, The Ritsumeikan Trust President, Ritsumeikan University, Mr. Yoshio NAKATANI signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat and Ritsumeikan University in Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto. According to the MoU, TCS and Ritsumeikan University, to jointly pursue the consensus reached by the three leaders in the Joint Declaration of the Ninth ROK-Japan-China Trilateral Summit, will strengthen cooperative relations to promote trilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of people-to-people exchange.▲TCS Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup, and Chancellor, The Ritsumeikan Trust President, Ritsumeikan University, Yoshio NAKATANI in MOU Signing Ceremony▲Group Photo

The Trilateral Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) was held in Tokyo, Japan on October 28, 2024. The meeting was presided by Mr. FUNAKOSHI Takehiro, Senior Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, with the participation of Mr. SUN Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and Mr. CHUNG Byung-won, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK. TCS Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup also participated in the meeting and delivered remarks.The three senior officials praised the progress of trilateral cooperation, emphasizing the series of Ministerial Meetings that have taken place since the revitalization of the CJK process at the 9th Trilateral Summit in May. They reaffirmed their commitment to fostering future-oriented cooperation among the three nations. Additionally, the officials discussed the timeline for the upcoming Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the Trilateral Summit. They also engaged in detailed discussions about the deliverable and agreed to maintain close communication in preparation.SG LEE appreciated the concerted efforts of the CJK governments to revitalize and normalize trilateral cooperation and expressed gratitude for their continuous support for the TCS. SG LEE explained briefly to the three senior officials on the current status of trilateral cooperation and provided suggestions related to the TCS in preparation for the Trilateral Summit.(Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)(Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

On 26 October 2024, TCS Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup met with H.E. SUN Weidong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of China. Both sides exchanged views on the progress of the trilateral cooperation and the future development of the TCS. Mr. ZHANG Maoming, Deputy Director-General of Department of Asian Affairs of MFA also attended the meeting.Vice Minister SUN Weidong spoke highly of the significance of the trilateral cooperation and the efforts made by the 7th consultative board of the TCS. He suggested that the TCS should continue to give full play to its advantages, strengthen capacity building, carry out more influential flagship programs and explore new exchange platforms in promoting the future trilateral cooperation. He reiterated the strong commitment of the Chinese government to render continuous support to the TCS.Secretary-General LEE appreciated the MFA of China for its strong and continuous support over the past years. He briefed on the TCS’ work plan for the next stage, emphasizing that the TCS would continue to expand trilateral exchange and cooperation in culture, education, youth, local cities and other areas to follow up the outcomes of 9th Trilateral Summit.▲ SG LEE met with H.E. SUN Weidong, Vice Foreign Minister of China