UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | Lee Kyung-chul, South Korea's special representative for Middle East peace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) in Manila, Philippines, on July 22, held on the sidelines of ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings. During his visit, Lee held discussions with key figures on the Israeli-Palestinian issue and broader Middle East affairs.
CEAPAD is a forum launched in February 2013 under Japanese leadership to discuss ways East Asian countries can support Palestinian development by drawing on their resources, knowledge and development experience. Ministerial meetings have been held four times previously: the inaugural session in Tokyo in February 2013, followed by meetings in Jakarta in March 2014, Bangkok in June 2018, and Kuala Lumpur in July 2025. The fifth ministerial meeting was co-chaired by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, whose country currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, and Palestinian Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad.
At the meeting, Lee expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and outlined South Korea's response, noting that the government has provided a total of $96 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians since the outbreak of the Gaza crisis in October 2023, with additional support planned for this year. He also highlighted South Korea's ongoing official development assistance projects in education, administration and other sectors, drawing on the country's own development experience to help build a sustainable and resilient Palestinian society, and pledged continued contributions to improving conditions in Palestine.
Lee also referenced the "SHINE Initiative," announced by the South Korean president during a Middle East visit last November, which laid out the country's intent to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Middle East, including Palestine. The initiative is built around five pillars: Stability, Harmony, Innovation, Network and Education, with the aim of cooperating with the region across the fields of peace, prosperity and culture. Lee said South Korea will continue to join international efforts toward realizing a two-state solution.
On the sidelines of the conference, Lee held separate meetings with Iwamoto Keiichi, director-general of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who also serves as Japan's special representative for Afghanistan, and Christian Saunders, acting executive director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The discussions covered the Israeli-Palestinian issue, armed conflicts in the Middle East, and other major regional developments.
