President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sept. 6 speaks at the 24th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-ROK (Republic of Korea) Summit at Jakarta Convention Center in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. (Kim Yong Wii from Office of the President)

By Margareth Theresia

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sept. 6 said, "The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-ROK (Republic of Korea) Solidarity Initiative (KASI) announced by the Korean government last year is based on the centrality of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea's firm support for ASEAN's perspective on the Indo-Pacific region," adding, "Let us go together for the co-prosperity of Korea and ASEAN."

At the 24th ASEAN-ROK Summit held that day at Jakarta Convention Center in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, he added, "I'm pleased that KASI over the past year has expanded its range of cooperation by identifying eight priority tasks."

KASI is a regional policy customized for Seoul's core partner ASEAN within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. 

"Based on full support for the regional structure led by ASEAN, the three countries of Korea, the U.S. and Japan decided to finetune their respective Indo-Pacific strategies and seek new areas of cooperation," the president said. "To this end, Korea, the U.S. and Japan launched an annual trilateral Indo-Pacific dialogue and maritime security cooperation framework to support the security capacity of ASEAN and Pacific Island countries."

President Yoon also asked ASEAN heads of state to support Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. 

"Busan previously hosted the ASEAN-ROK Special Summit in 2014 and 2019, thus this city might be familiar to the ASEAN leaders here," he said. "I sincerely ask for your interest and support for Busan so that it can again contribute to creating a better future not only for the Indo-Pacific region but also the whole world."

President Yoon Suk Yeol (sixth from left) on Sept. 6 poses for a commemorative photo with Southeast Asian heads of state as well as the leaders of China and Japan at the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit held at Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Kang Min Seok from the Office of the President)

Later that afternoon, President Yoon attended the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit to discuss cooperation between ASEAN and Seoul and that between ASEAN and Korea, China and Japan with the leaders of nine ASEAN member states including the chair country Indonesia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. 

"We plan to closely communicate with the Japanese and Chinese governments to resume as soon as possible trilateral cooperation mechanisms like three-way summits," President Yoon said. "Because we recently opened a new chapter in trilateral cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo through improved ties between Korea and Japan, the invigoration of trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan and China will serve as a stepping stone for ASEAN Plus Three cooperation to achieve major progress."

Launched as a joint response to the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, the ASEAN Plus Three Summit is a regional gathering of ASEAN's 10 member states and the three East Asian countries. 

"We need a new determination to contribute to the development of ASEAN as a hub of growth by overcoming complex crises," President Yoon said. "To this end, we must stimulate trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan and China, something that forms the basis of ASEAN Plus Three's development."

"As the chair country of the ninth trilateral summit of Korea, Japan and China and the coordinating state representing the three countries in ASEAN Plus Three, the Republic of Korea will actively play its necessary role," he added. "When ASEAN Plus Three join forces, they will contribute to freedom, peace and prosperity not only in ASEAN but also the Indo-Pacific region and the whole world."

margareth@korea.kr