Lee Myeong-ku, left, the commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, and his Japanese counterpart, Mitsuhiro Teraoka, pose after a meeting in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Korea Customs Service

Korea and Japan's customs agency chiefs held a meeting in Seoul this week, and touched on ways to facilitate trade between the two nations, amid mounting global trade uncertainties, the Korean customs agency said Friday.

The meeting between Korea Customs Service (KCS) Commissioner Lee Myeong-ku and his Japanese counterpart, Mitsuhiro Teraoka, held Thursday, is the first of its kind since the inauguration of new governments in their respective countries, according to the KCS.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to work together in the swift implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement signed between 15 Asia Pacific nations, including Korea, Japan, China and Australia.

As part of such a goal, Korea and Japan will start discussions on developing systems that can allow the exchange of origin certifications electronically. The two sides also agreed to hold regular meetings on measures to block the inflow of illegal or harmful goods between the two countries, amid a surge in cross-border e-commerce shipments.

The senior officials, in addition, touched on ways to strengthen economic security and measures to enhance exchanges between regional customs agencies from the two nations, the KCS said.

Source: Korea Times News