President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leaders of Pacific Islands nations have agreed to expand cooperation in their summit in Seoul.

The leaders reached the agreement on Monday in the inaugural summit between South Korea and countries of the Pacific Islands at the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.

After the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement presenting a vision to build a partnership for the freedom, peace and prosperity of the resilient Pacific through cooperation while maintaining regional peace and stability.

The two sides also expressed mutual support of South Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Pacific Islands nations’ 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

In addition, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in the maritime, climate, energy, cyber and health areas among others, and South Korea pledged to double its official development assistance for Pacific Islands nations to 53 billion won, or about 40 million U.S. dollars, by 2027.

The statement confirmed the importance of protecting the seas and marine resources from environmental pollution due to radioactive waste and substances, in an apparent reference to Japan's plan to release water contaminated by the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. 

The two sides also agreed to hold talks of their foreign ministers every two years and to continue with summits.