By UN Journal Kayla Lee

National Security Adviser Jang Ho-jin met with visiting New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters at the Yongsan Office of the President in Seoul on July 15, the presidential office said.

Jang and Peters agreed that the two countries, as similarly positioned countries in the Indo-Pacific region, should work together to safeguard peace, stability and a rules-based order in the region.

Jang thanked New Zealand in particular for its role as chair of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) Summit, which played an important role in issuing a joint statement on cooperation with Russia, and both sides agreed that a unified response from the international community is crucial.

Earlier, the IP4 - South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, and Australia - adopted a joint statement condemning military cooperation between Russia and North Korea at a summit held on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit on July 11 (local time).