Korea, Japan and China held their first education ministerial talks in over four years Saturday to discuss cooperation in related areas and the promotion of exchanges among students.

The trilateral talks, the first since 2020 in China, were headed by Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, with the Japanese and Chinese sides headed by Education Minister Masahito Moriyama and Minister Huai Jinpeng, respectively.

First held in 2016 in South Korea, the tripartite education chiefs' gathering was established to discuss cooperation in areas involving education among the Northeast Asian neighbors.

On the agenda for Saturday's talks were the strengthening of cooperation in future education, the promotion of trilateral exchanges among future generations and ways to develop the joint Campus Asia program.

After the meeting, the ministers of the three neighboring nations released a joint declaration on education innovation.

The declaration said the three countries decided to share digital education policies and best practices to systematically promote digital transformation in all areas of education.

They also agree to encourage exchanges and cultural experiences among students in the countries and support various student activities, including youth sports and cultural events, in order to promote trilateral understanding and friendship.

At a trilateral summit between the leaders of the three countries held last month in South Korea, the three sides emphasized the importance of human exchanges, especially youth exchanges. (Yonhap)