The 4th Korea-US Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) and Environmental Cooperation Commission (ECC) will be held on July 11 at the Government Complex-Seoul Annex, where the two countries will exchange opinions on bilateral environmental cooperation and discuss future cooperation plans.

※ Korea-US Environmental Affairs Council (EAC): Based on the environment chapter of the Korea-US FTA (concluded in 2011), the Ministry of Environment of Korea and the US Trade Representative (USTR) will review the implementation of the environmental section of the Korea-US FTA.

※ Korea-US Environmental Cooperation Commission (ECC): Based on the Korea-US Environmental Cooperation Agreement (concluded in 2012), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea and the US Department of State will review the implementation of environmental cooperation projects. 

※ The Korea-US Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) and Environmental Cooperation Commission (ECC) are typically held in conjunction.

- △ 1st (February 2013, Washington), △ 2nd (November 2015, Seoul), △ 3rd (May 2019, Washington)

The 4th Korea-US Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) will be chaired by Lee Youngseok, Director General of Climate Change and International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment of Korea, and Kelly Milton, Assistant USTR for Environment and Natural Resources Office. Attendees will include representatives from Korea’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as the US Department of State and the US Embassy in Korea.

The Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) is being held for the fourth time since the implementation of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2012, based on the environment chapter (Chapter 20) of the FTA. The council focuses on strengthening environmental protection standards, implementing multilateral environmental agreements specified in the FTA, enforcing environmental laws, and ensuring public participation in policy-making for the environmental policies of both countries.

Additionally, during this EAC meeting, both sides will review the progress of their policies since the 3rd EAC in 2019 and explore opportunities for cooperation in multilateral forums such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Group of Twenty (G20). 

For the Environmental Cooperation Commission (ECC), the Korean delegation will be led by Han Minyoung, Deputy Director-General of the Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Scientific Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with participants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Korea Water Resources Corporation. The US delegation will be led by Jennifer Littlejohn, Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the US Department of State, with representatives from the Department of State, the US Trade Representative (USTR), and the US Embassy in Korea.

In this Environmental Cooperation Commission (ECC) meeting, both sides will review the implementation status of major cooperative projects based on the 2019-2022 work program and discuss future cooperation areas under the 2023-2026 work program. They will particularly focus on the implementation status and future cooperation plans in priority areas of environmental cooperation, including △ illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, △ climate change response, △ plastics, △ air quality, and △ water management. 

Both sides will hold a public session for the Korean public at the Government Complex-Seoul Annex 1st floor on July 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m., as part of a Communication Forum. They will explain the outcomes of the 4th Korea-US EAC and ECC, and conduct a question-and-answer session. 

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com