South Korea and Papua New Guinea have exchanged congratulatory letters between their foreign ministers to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, with both sides vowing to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko described South Korea as an "important strategic economic partner" and called for expanded collaboration in clean energy, digital transformation, and climate change response. The milestone was also marked by the announcement of a planned Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) office in Papua New Guinea (a Pacific island nation and one of the world's most resource-rich developing economies).