Korea’s Minister for Trade Inkyo Cheong attended the first ASEAN-ROK Think-tank Dialogue on Economic and Trade Policy (AKTD) today on Jeju Island, held with the participation of approximately 100 representatives from Korean and ASEAN major think tanks, the ASEAN Secretariat, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the Asia Foundation, Yonsei University, and the Korea-Southeast Asia Policy Cooperation Center.
AKTD is the first economic and trade cooperation project launched after the elevation of ROK-ASEAN diplomatic relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of the 25th ROK-ASEAN Summit convened last October in Vientiane, Lao PDR. It is also a ROK-ASEAN policy research platform for uncovering sustainable economic cooperation projects and supporting ASEAN members’ policy capacity building. Today’s first AKTD conference is significant in that Korea and 10 ASEAN think tanks gathered to establish a systematic policy dialogue channel for joint ROK-ASEAN efforts in economic and trade policy cooperation going forward.
Noting that ASEAN is Korea’s third largest trading partner and second largest foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, Trade Minister Cheong stated in his welcoming message that the two sides have continued to strengthen their mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and economic areas. In view of ROK-ASEAN relations having advanced to a comprehensive strategic partnership, he expressed anticipation for the AKTD to develop into a signature project for ROK-ASEAN policy cooperation in effectively uncovering and launching joint projects.
During the forum session, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET) President Namhoon Kwon gave a keynote speech on the role of think tanks for national development, followed by speakers from ERIA, the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), who presented on the trade and economic development strategies of ASEAN. A panel discussion took place after the presentations, chaired by the Asia Foundation’s Korean representative Kyungjin Song. IKMAS Director Sufian Jusoh welcomed the AKTD’s launch, ensuring IKMAS’ active participation and support for AKTD’s joint research projects and other events this year.
In the subsequent roundtable session, participants discussed the basic future directions for the operation of AKTD and officially adopted the “Operational Guidelines for the AKTD” signed by KIET and nine ASEAN think tanks. The above guidelines are expected to serve as a critical foundation for the establishment of AKTD as a sustainable cooperative platform that can contribute to ASEAN’s economic development policies.
Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) will be reporting the joint research outcomes of AKTD at the 22nd ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM)-ROK Consultation slated for this September in Malaysia, while also making preparations for a follow-up conference through close cooperation with the ASEAN chair country and the ASEAN Secretariat.