The cooperation among the three countries demonstrates the momentum of the development of their relations. Their leaders have held regular informal meetings since 1999. Officially, when the leaders met during the Trilateral Summit in Laos on November 29th, 2004, they selected public personnel management as a key item in the action strategy.

    In this context, the Heads of Personnel Authorities of China, Japan, and Korea met on January 12, 2006 to build a solid foundation for the promotion of the tripartite cooperation among China, Japan, and Korea in the area of public personnel administration.

    The then three heads, Personnel Minister Bailin Zhang of China, National Personnel Authority (NPA) President Takeo Sato, and Civil Service Commission Chairman Chang-hyun Cho of Korea met during the First China-Japan-Korea Meeting of Heads of Personnel Authorities held in Seoul, Korea on January 12, 2005.

    Building upon the success of the first Meeting, the three heads of the personnel authorities, this time with the new President Masahito Tani of the NPA as a host, gathered again on May 24, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan to enhance the level of cooperation.

    During the two meetings, the three heads reviewed, discussed, and acknowledged the positive progress made in the development of the trilateral relationship. For the further promotion and reinforcement of tripartite cooperation in the future, the heads also signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

    The agreement sets out the framework for future cooperation initiatives which focus on, among other things, Director-General level meetings on a regular basis and meetings of heads of personnel authorities as needed.

    At the meetings, the three heads exchanged views on the current public personnel management conditions, and on the other concerns of each country, as well as matters common to the region. They discussed how to promote trilateral cooperation and agreed to give priority to the following areas of cooperation: activating information exchange, strengthening cooperation in research on public personnel policies, fostering cooperation in the field of public personnel administration, and opening a seminar or forum on public administration.

    Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of working as International Relations Specialist at the Civil Service Commission of Korea. In my capacity, I have provided coordination interpretation for the Network activities and therefore have been able to witness firsthand how the trilateral cooperation can bring a greater degree of efficiency, productivity, and accountability in the government reforms. I have also greatly enjoyed working with my counterparts: Mr. Haiyun Zhao of the Personnel Ministry of China and Mr. Michihiro Numano of the National Personnel Authority of Japan.

    With the tremendous efforts of the China-Japan-Korea Personnel Policy Network participants, it is now officially recognized. It is clear that the Network activities thus far have made valuable contributions to building a solid foundation for the public personnel management network. The Network will be a regional initiative that supports the exchange of information, ideas, and know-how for the reform and improvement of personnel affairs among China, Japan, and Korea.