Prime Minister Mark Brown in his capacity as the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Chair has met South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss bilateral corporation in developing deep-water resources.

According to The Korean Times, the South Korea President’s office in a statement said: "The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in developing deep-water resources, and in the maritime and fisheries realm.”

Brown met with Yoon on the side-lines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier this week.

They assessed the recent active exchanges between their nations, including their previous meeting on the margins of a Korea-Pacific island nation’s summit in Seoul in May.

The statement said Yoon explained Korea's decision to boost official development assistance for Pacific island nations and increase the size of a Korea-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) cooperation fund to strengthen solidarity and cooperation for addressing regional challenges, including climate change, the food crisis and the digital gap.

They agreed to continue communication for a successful summit of the PIF and its dialogue partners, which will be hosted in the Cook Islands in November.

Yoon asked for the Cook Islands' support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. (Yonhap)

The Pacific News Agency reported that Brown also singed a "cooperation agreement" with the ASEAN on Monday following a meeting with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo.

Brown said: "As we celebrate this collaborative partnership, let us reflect on the values and principles that ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) hold dear. We are committed to maintaining regional centrality, fostering partnerships, and working towards open, transparent, inclusive, and resilient regions.”

Brown is scheduled to attend the Forum Foreign Ministers meeting (FFMM) which will take place on September 15 at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji.

It will also be attended by Pacific Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

LL/media release