Authorities officers and famend students from South Korea and member states of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations convened at a global convention to chart pathways for additional creating cooperation, constructing on the October milestone that elevated Korea-ASEAN relations to a Complete Strategic Partnership.
The Worldwide Convention on ASEAN-Korea Partnership 2024 was held Thursday below the theme “In the direction of a Sustainable and Resilient Future” on the Lotte Resort in Seoul, co-organized by the ASEAN-Korea Heart and Korean Affiliation of Southeast Asian Research.
Reflecting on milestones achieved over time on the again of shared values and mutual pursuits, Kim Jae-shin, secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Heart, make clear the importance of Korea’s relations with ASEAN nations.
“Through the ASEAN-Korea Summit final month, our leaders elevated our partnership to the Complete Strategic Partnership, reflecting our shared ambition to raise our cooperation to the best degree,” Kim stated in his opening remarks, as he expressed optimism about taking ties to the subsequent degree in years to come back.
“ASEAN is now Korea’s second-largest buying and selling accomplice, its third-largest funding vacation spot and the most-visited area by Koreans. This dynamic partnership spans political-security, financial and sociocultural cooperation,” Kim underscored.
The convention carried distinctive significance, occurring only one month after Korea-ASEAN relations have been elevated to a Complete Strategic Partnership — the best degree of ASEAN partnership — in the course of the October summit in Vientiane. The upgraded partnership guarantees expanded cooperation throughout numerous fields, from synthetic intelligence and environmental sustainability to good metropolis improvement.
This yr additionally marks the thirty fifth anniversary of diplomatic dialogue between South Korea and ASEAN.
Saleumxay Kommasith, deputy prime minister and minister of international affairs for Laos, the ASEAN chair for 2024, identified that ASEAN-South Korean cooperation has loved “dynamic and steady” progress within the areas of politics, safety, economic system, tradition and social ties.
Kommasith stated the South Korea has been a “significant accomplice” of ASEAN since establishing dialogue relations in 1989 and has been pivotal in strengthening financial cooperation.
“For instance, the Complete Cooperation Partnership established in 2004 and the ASEAN-ROK FTA in 2007 have been pivotal in ASEAN-ROK’s financial cooperation. The New Southern Coverage launched in 2017 has additional enhanced ASEAN-ROK ties, bringing renewed focus to areas resembling commerce, funding and people-to-people connectivity.”
Republic of Korea is the formal identify of South Korea.
Saying that this yr marks the “starting of a brand new period” for Korea and ASEAN, Kim Hong-kyun, first vice minister of South Korea’s Overseas Ministry, famous that the Complete Strategic Partnership will elevate Korea-ASEAN ties to a “new top.”
“In lower than three years since President Yoon Suk Yeol took workplace, we now have completed an important deal collectively, together with 37 summit conferences and 17 prime ministerial engagements.
“Additionally, since we established dialogues in 1989, two-way commerce has elevated 23-fold, reaching $187 billion. Folks-to-people exchanges have skyrocketed, rising 37-fold and surpassing 10 million. Furthermore, Korea’s Indo-Pacific Technique, which was unveiled on the ASEAN summit two years in the past, locations ASEAN at its core,” Kim stated.
Kim additionally referred to as for sending a “united message” towards North Korea’s provocative and destabilizing acts.
“For the peace, stability and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and broader Indo-Pacific area, together with North and Southeast Asia, ASEAN and the ROK should stand united, sending a transparent message that North Korea’s unendurable actions is not going to be tolerated.”
Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, deputy secretary-general of ASEAN for the ASEAN political-security group, highlighted that fostering extra dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and South Korea sooner or later can promote “sustainable improvement” within the area, in addition to advance the partnership in a manner that’s significant, substantive and mutually useful.
This yr’s convention featured 4 classes: envisioning the ASEAN-Korea Complete Strategic Partnership, fostering financial resilience for sustainable progress, nurturing sociocultural ties within the ASEAN-Korea partnership and charting the ASEAN-Korea Heart’s strategic imaginative and prescient.
