S. Korea, Japan to hold policy meeting on development cooperation

South Korea and Japan will hold a bilateral policy meeting this week to bolster their cooperation in achieving a series of U.N. sustainable development goals (SDGs), Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The 17th policy consultative meeting will be held in Seoul on Friday, led by Lee Yong-soo, the director-general of the ministry's development cooperation division, and his Japanese counterpart Takio Yamada. The last meeting was held in Tokyo in February last year.

The two sides will focus on how they can maximize their cooperation in pushing for the SDGs, which were adopted last year to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.

To enhance the effectiveness of its overseas aid programs, Seoul has regularly held policy meetings with some 10 countries including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. (Yonhap)