By Honorary Reporter John Paul Vergonia from the Philippines

Photos = John Paul Vergonia

"Together we can!"

Indonesian linguist Maf Ismail said this about relations between Korea and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "I anticipate more good cooperation between ASEAN and Korea especially in tourism, education, industry, and small and medium businesses that will benefit all parties. Hopefully, this strong relationship in the future can promote more regional security and prosperity and serve as a model for other nations," he added.

From Nov. 25-26 in Busan, the 2019 ASEAN-ROK (Republic of Korea) Commemorative Summit will be held to mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations. This event will assess programs, projects and activities conducted by the two sides over the past decades and propose and launch new ones.

Background

ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation and integration in fields such as economy, politics, security, military, education and socio-cultural affairs. Comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, ASEAN was inaugurated on Aug. 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Korea formed dialogue relations with ASEAN in 1989, and a series of talks and meetings followed that eventually made the country an ASEAN dialogue partner. In addition, the ASEAN Plus Three forum was launched in December 1997 with China, Japan and Korea to counterbalance Western influence in Asia and stabilize the region's financial markets.

ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations

After forming dialogue relations with ASEAN in November 1989, Korea was named a full dialogue partner of the region in July 1991 at the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Malaysia. Korea also hosted commemorative summits with ASEAN in 2009 and 2014.

This year's summit will focus on Korea's New Southern Policy, which seeks to reinforce partnerships in all areas based on the "3Ps" of people, prosperity and peace. Expected to attract over 10,000 participants including the heads of state and government officials from all participating nations, the summit will be the largest international conference hosted by Korea under President Moon Jae-in.

Side events have included the ASEAN-KOREA Media Forum (April 24) attended by news media and academia to facilitate cultural exchanges between Korea and ASEAN; ASEAN Week (June 14-16) that showcased ASEAN's beauty through cultural and tourism festivals; and the ASEAN-Korea Train: Advancing Together (Oct. 15-19), which raised public awareness of the longstanding partnership of member countries. ASEAN-Korea Startup Week from Nov. 19-28 will have startups from ASEAN member states share their ideas and collaborate with their Korean counterparts before and during the summit at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO).

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul, which promotes economic and socio-cultural cooperation between Korea and ASEAN.

ASEAN-Korea voices speak

Moe Thuzar, a research fellow and coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Programme at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said, “Myanmar and Korea enjoyed friendly relations even before Myanmar joined ASEAN. Korea has consistently sought to engage Myanmar through initiatives for the latter's economic development as well as an investment destination."

She said Korea is still one of Myanmar's top 10 investors and that both countries have cooperated since the Korean War.

"President Moon Jae-in's recent visit to Myanmar in September 2019 was also well received by the Myanmar people, who were touched by his reference to and recognition of Myanmar (then Burma) providing Korea with rice as food aid during the Korean War. Further Korean investment in Myanmar's industrial and financial sectors, on top of rural development and wide-ranging capacity-building programs, has raised Korea's profile in Myanmar, adding to the triumph of the K-wave's soft power. All this bodes well for the successful implementation of the New Southern Policy and the future of Myanmar-Korea relations in the context of ASEAN-ROK relations and bilateral ties," she added.

The inaugural Mekong-Korea Summit on Nov. 27 in Busan will feature Korea and the five nations through which the Mekong River flows: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

"As Myanmar is a developing country, it needs good relationships with established countries to get long-term support. But Myanmar no longer receives assistance from the West due to the many issues we face. The people of Myanmar have to rely on neighboring countries like China, but we shouldn't depend on just one country to build a sustainable economy. The government should also seek support from other countries for Myanmar to progress."

Pyae Phyo Lynn said, "Korea is a developed country and with the recent visit of its president, it brought yet more investments and new projects for Myanmar."

Hin Bunkheng, an auditing assistant at an international auditing firm in Cambodia, said, "For Cambodia, both multilateral and bilateral cooperation with Korea benefit social and economic development. In recent years, we've received various forms of assistance to improve education and health care, and this also reduces tension in social conflicts. Moreover, a large number of immigrants are employed in Korea, which improves living in remote and rural areas. On trade, the two countries keep making progress to ensure sustainable economic growth."

Hin added that he wanted Korean and ASEAN leaders to reflect on the upcoming summit and stressed three points. "First, all relevant stakeholders should not only prioritize their own interests but also consider everyone in the community to achieve mutual benefits. Second, the sentiments of all ASEAN-Korea member countries should be recognized to ensure fair cooperation in the community. Lastly, the summit should also focus on addressing social issues in both developed and developing countries to ensure equal rights for all," he said.

Shine Kuk, a Korean celebrity based in the Philippines, had this to say about ASEAN-Korea ties. "When I think of ASEAN and Korea, I remember what my dad in Korea always told our family during my 10 years of living abroad: United we stand, divided we fall. I've always remembered these words and they've helped me to survive and grow into who I am today. Like my story, ASEAN and Korea have achieved a glorious 30 years of dialogue relations despite many crises."

The winner of the 2018 Miss Korea-Philippines pageant and earning a bachelor's in international relations, she also shared how she promotes K-pop and human exchanges between Korea and the Philippines. "I've had various opportunities to promote and share what my motherland has to offer such as K-culture, K-pop, K-beauty and the Korean lifestyle as well as the beautiful culture of the Philippines through my participation in events, TV and my social media channels."

Having hosted on Sept. 28 the 28th Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival in Pasay, Metro Manila, Kuk added, "As a proud daughter of the Republic of Korea, I will keep supporting and taking part in the future of ASEAN-Korea relations and hope to see more participation from the younger generation and speak out for cooperation."

Korea.net Honorary Reporters from ASEAN

Korea.net Honorary Reporter Diana Kassandra Almarez, a Philippine university student who was invited to ride on the ASEAN-Korea Train, said she has high hopes for relations among the Philippines, Korea and ASEAN. "The relationship of the Philippines with ASEAN and Korea will grow even stronger due to expanding communication among people in the region. Though many things must be considered in strengthening and improving the different aspects of diplomatic relations, we can see that the government and related organizations are making efforts to maximize the policies and projects to help raise public awareness of the importance of Philippine participation in ASEAN and Korea's status as a strategic partner in improving the region," she said.

Almarez said the efforts of ASEAN and Korea will lead to more opportunities for the heads of state and the people to participate, saying, "My wish for the upcoming ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit is more active participation of the people of member states because ASEAN-Korea relations would not have reached 30 years or even improved without them.”

Natcha Poompradit of Thailand also expressed her support for ASEAN-Korea relations, saying, "I love the ASEAN community's programs that aim to promote collaboration and establish strong partnerships in economic, social, environmental and cultural areas for an even better ASEAN region. This makes all member states and Korea one family and advances progress further."

Thariq Hafidz Nabil Al Farouqi, an Indonesian student majoring in Korean and a supporter of the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta, also commented on his country's relations with Korea and ASEAN, saying, "Progress in relations between Indonesia and Korea has arguably been good as well as Indonesia's diplomatic affairs with ASEAN."

Malaysian consultant Soh Zhau Wan said, "I'm hoping that the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit will continue to strengthen the partnership between Korea and the ten countries in Southeast Asia."

She said the summit should focus on boosting cultural exchanges between countries, forming business networks, and addressing financial crisis and climate change. "Economic cooperation is needed to build a strong community. Leaders should develop, expand and grow the nation through education and overcome poverty," she said.



chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.