23rd - 25th April 2024, Jinju, Korea

The 3rd Meeting of the Heads of Asia/Pacific WCO Regional Customs Laboratories (RCLs) took place at the Korea Central Customs Laboratory in Jinju, Korea (RCL Korea) from April 23rd to April 25th, 2024. The event was organized by the Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P). Mr. Norikazu Kuramoto, Head, Mr. Jaemin Cho, Program Manager, and Ms. Zhengqing (Grace) Ye, Program Manager, participated in person as organizers.

The heads and delegations of the 5 RCLs in the Asia Pacific region (RCL China, RCL India, RCL Indonesia, RCL Japan, and RCL Korea), representatives from the WCO Secretariat, and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO A/P) attended the meeting. Additionally, members of the EU-WCO HS-African program from Algeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda participated as observers.

Ms. Grace Ye and Mr. Jaemin Cho served as Co-Chairs for the meeting, with Mr. Kuramoto providing the ROCB A/P report on capacity building activities conducted in 2023-24. The WCO Secretariat and RILO A/P also presented their recent activities and updates. Subsequently, each RCL outlined their recent initiatives to enhance professionalism in Customs Analysis and engaged in discussions on chemical analysis methodologies and activities.

During the meeting, RCL India, Japan, and Korea shared their experiences from the WCO Professionals Program 2023/24. ROCB A/P led discussions on capacity building initiatives in Customs Laboratory matters, while WCO Tariff and Trade Affairs shared information on HS amendments and related committee results. RILO A/P shared insights into recent global trends in illegal drugs.

The Heads of RCLs exchanged views on enhancing cooperation among RCLs, with delegates discussing closer cooperation and expanding the scope of information sharing beyond the Asia Pacific region. On the last day, delegations visited the Busan Main Customs Laboratory to learn about its operations and exchanged professional insights.

For more information, please contact at rocb@rocbap.org