President Yoon Suk Yeol held a series of bilateral summits with the leaders of five Pacific island nations in Seoul on Sunday and discussed ways to boost ties in areas including climate change and development cooperation, his office said.

Yoon held talks with Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at his office at 3 p.m., followed by Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni and Prime Minister Kausea Natano of Tuvalu.

He also held summits with Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau and Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea, according to Yoon's office.

Yoon said that South Korea, a country that pursues the value of freedom and rule of law, hopes to establish a "righteous relationship that is also based on trust" with the Pacific island nations, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written briefing.

Lee said Yoon also called for assessing bilateral cooperation and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with each country in areas like development cooperation, climate change, fishery and health care.

Noting that South Korea serves as an exemplary model for development, the leaders of the five nations thanked Yoon for organizing the summits and expressed their intent to expand bilateral cooperation across all areas, according to Lee.

Kicking off the summits with a meeting with Maamau, Yoon stressed that Kiribati is the biggest fishing ground for the South Korean deep-sea fishery industry in terms of operations, requesting his support for South Korean fishing vessels in the area.

Maamau expressed the country's intent to learn from Seoul's economic development and expand cooperation in areas like fishery and health care.

In his talks with the Tongan prime minister, Yoon noted how Tonga is the first Pacific island nation that established diplomatic ties with Seoul in 1970. He also thanked Sovaleni for his swift response to a massive undersea volcanic eruption in January last year that left 24 South Korean residents there unscathed.

Sovaleni thanked Seoul's support for restoration efforts and said the country hopes to expand cooperation in areas like the digital industry and drinking water supply.

In his meeting with the prime minister of Tuvalu, Yoon said the country, which has faced "existential threats" from climate change, has raised global awareness on the issue, and pledged to take part in efforts to reduce carbon emission and tackle climate change.

Natano responded that Tuvalu hopes to cooperate with South Korea in areas like communication facilities, hydrogen exports and decarbonization in shipping.

Yoon mentioned how Vanuatu in March played a key role in a United Nations resolution seeking an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on a country's duty in regard to climate change.

Kalsakau thanked Yoon for Seoul's various support, including providing humanitarian aid during a cyclone in March, and asked for the country to play a key role in various port development projects going forward.

In the final leg of the summits, Yoon suggested South Korea and Papua New Guinea strive together for the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, and thanked the country for its decision to support South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

Marape responded that he strongly anticipates South Korean manufacturers investing in the country, which is rich in natural resources, like oil, gold and gas.

The leaders of the Pacific island nations are visiting Seoul to attend the first summit between South Korea and Pacific island nations to be held Monday and Tuesday.

The summit will be held under the theme "Navigating towards Co-Prosperity: Strengthening Cooperation with the Blue Pacific," with the participation of leaders and senior officials from all 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum, an intergovernmental body aimed at enhancing cooperation among island countries in the region.

The 18 members are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Tonga, Palau, Niue, Nauru, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

Source: Yonhap News Agency