Seoul (VNA) – The inauguration of the sixth secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre Kim Jae-shin took place at the organisation’s headquarters in Jung district, central Seoul, on May 27 evening, with the participation of ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.
Kim will oversee cooperation programmes between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) for a term of three years.
At the ceremony, he pledged his commitment to the sides’ relations and said that 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the centre and the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations.
As planned, the ASEAN-ROK summit will be held in the second half of the year.
The diplomat also outlined the centre’s key work for the next three years, including supporting the sides’ sustainable and mutually beneficial economic cooperation initiatives, facilitating tourism and cultural exchanges through capacity-building programmes, and enhancing solidarity and collaboration by fostering communication and raising awareness.
With a background in political science from Korea University, Kim joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980. He has served as the ministry’s director-general of the ministries’ bureaus for Asia-Pacific and Northeast Asia.
Founded in Seoul in 2009, the centre is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to enhancing trade, promoting investment, boosting tourism and fostering cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the 10-member bloc and the country./.
