Illustrative image (Source: Internet) Jakarta (VNA) – The Jakarta Post newspaper of Indonesia has publishedan article reviewing 30 years of amity between the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Thearticle, written by Korean Ambassador to ASEAN Kim Young-chae, highlighted therole of ASEAN in Asia and in the international arena, as well as progress inthe ASEAN-RoK relations over the past 30 years and future prospects.
Throughhis article, the ambassador mentioned historic events to be held in the RoK inNovember, including the third ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit and the firstKorea-Mekong Summit.
Accordingto him, the commemorative summit will put forward important initiatives tobenefit ASEAN nationals such as ease of visa applications to the RoK, anincrease of scholarship opportunities of Korean studies in ASEAN and ASEANstudies in the RoK.
Thesummit will give a vision for the next 30 years of ASEAN-RoK relations, whichwill give inspiration in every field, from people-to-people,business-to-business and government-to-government, Kim wrote.
Regardingeconomic cooperation, the diplomat stressed that ASEAN is currently the RoK’ssecond biggest trade partner, while the latter is the fifth largest trader ofASEAN, with two-way trade hitting 150 billion USD in 2017. The RoK is aimingfor 200 billion USD by 2020, he added.
Thearticle also emphasised that ASEAN has “a massive supply chain in pursuit of asingle market and single production base”. Therefore, collaboration with theRoK will increase synergy and lead to prosperity.
Duringthe summit, business-related events and gatherings will also be organised andASEAN leaders may attend. The summit will be a stepping stone for ASEAN and Koreanbusinesses to network and unlock their potential, Kim wrote.-VNA
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