Platform 4 of Seoul Station was packed with invitees and delegates on Oct. 16. That day, they were excited to be on board a train for the ASEAN-Korea Train: Advancing Together program, the launch of which marked the start of a 40-day countdown to the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit in Busan, South Korea.

A group of young people gathered around, busy talking to each other, although many were meeting each other for the first time.

They consisted of students currently studying in different universities in South Korea as well as artists and performers from ASEAN countries. Their topics of discussion ranged from K-pop to possible collaboration projects among them.

Representing the youth of their respective countries, they were selected to join the ASEAN-Korea Train program, which commemorates 30 years of ASEAN-Korea ties. Hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), the ASEAN-Korea Train highlighted President Moon Jae-in’s New Southern Policy, which emphasizes 3Ps — people, prosperity and peace.

The train made stops in the cities of Gyeongju, Busan, Suncheon and Gwangju, carrying around 200 people from 11 countries.

The intended three-day journey — which was cut short after two days because of an outbreak of the African swine flu, preventing the train from visiting the Korean Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjeon — allowed participants to enjoy performances from each ASEAN country and the host, with songs being sung and traditional musical instruments being played on board the train. Each train car had its own small stage where performers showcased their talents.

Karina Syahna, a professional Indonesian dancer and influencer, warmly welcomed the program, saying she had the opportunity to discuss many things with representatives of other ASEAN countries.

“I managed to talk to artists and performers from Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the rest of the ASEAN countries to talk about possible collaborations,” said the 2019 Putri Indonesia contestant, representing West Kalimantan. “Perhaps because we are in the same field of performing arts, it is very easy for us to mingle and be open to the opportunity of working together.”

Karina, who is also a dance teacher for children with special needs, specializing in teaching those with Down syndrome, said Indonesia shared similar issues with other ASEAN countries.

“Many ASEAN countries have yet to introduce infrastructure when it comes to children with special needs, especially children with Down syndrome. Only Singapore already provides facilities for them. When I talked to my colleagues from countries like Vietnam or Myanmar or Laos, we shared the same problem in this issue,” said Karina, who will travel to Korea to supervise dancers for their music video next month.

Others who showcased their talents on the train were saxophonist Sepal Unsamran of Thailand; the Apex Project, a five-member a cappella band from Singapore; and Indonesian singer Tiffani Dwiarine Afifa, who won the grand prize at the 2017 K-Pop World Festival.

South Korean Ambassador to ASEAN Lim Sung-nam praised the program.

“The ASEAN-Korea Train is a good opportunity for the people of ASEAN and people of Korea to be together and to get to know each other better and more deeply,” he said.

“We know that the New Southern Policy comprises three pillars: people, prosperity and peace. Among these three pillars, I believe the greatest emphasis is placed upon the people. It is the people who can make a difference.

“This kind of exchange program, [with] the understanding among each other among the people of ASEAN, I believe we can walk together for a brighter future."

Nabeela Ami Mohd. Yusof, a Malaysian postgraduate student of the Korea University of Technology and Education, also warmly welcomed the program, saying it showed that ASEAN and South Korea had a good relationship.

“A lot of Malaysians visited Korea for holidays. By joining this program, I hope I can help other people to know not only about the ASEAN-Korea Train but also about exploring Korea by themselves,” she said.

Lee Jung-pyo — a visiting professor of the Seoul Institute of Arts who teaches music composition and professional singer and player of gayageum (Korean zither-like instrument) — explained that despite the differences among ASEAN cultures, there was a shared connection.

“Traditional folk songs are very similar all over the world, with the pentatonic scale and simple rhythm, and as you know they are very close to each other geographically. When countries are very close to each other, they tend to share similarities,” she commented.

Despite the festivities' ambience on the train, three Indonesian postgraduate students shared concerns and suggestions on the ASEAN people taking on a bigger role.

“ASEAN has been very focused on the economy,” said Maggie Yang, a master’s candidate at Korea University. “ASEAN decisions have always been made by top leaders, while the sense of belonging from the people remains low. We still don’t feel that we’re ASEAN as a single community.”

Andrian Saputra, a postgraduate student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, concurred. “We are more focused on the ASEAN economic community instead of the ASEAN community [as a whole], which was established in 2015. Other aspects such as politics were not on the table due to the nonintervention policy while the sociocultural aspect was not discussed at all.”

He added that there were some areas in which improvements could only be made from within ASEAN. “Geographically, ASEAN is not a landlocked [region]. Within the 10 countries, we have four different language families. If we want to have one ASEAN, the approach should be from the sociocultural aspect,” he said.

Glimmering hope: The Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, South Korea, welcomes ASEAN-Korea Train participants on Oct. 17 with a special exhibition entitled “Light of ASEAN, One Community and Harmony”. The exhibition features “wish lanterns”, water and light installations and fabrics commonly made by various ASEAN and Korean cultures. (Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Center)

Meanwhile, Maggie raised concerns over the absence of ASEAN language centers where people from ASEAN countries could learn the languages of other member nations. “Where can we learn the Myanmar language, for example? There should be language centers in each of the ASEAN countries and, for Indonesia, it should not only be in Jakarta,” she said.

Emmanuela Sabatini, who is currently studying at Keimyung University, said she was curious about what the train would look like.

“When I got on board, it felt like we were treated as guests, I am not complaining though. But I had thought that the ASEAN-Korea Train would mean that we would have equal participation in this event,” she said.

Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Umar Hadi shared a similar concern with the students, saying that it was important to look at the event as an opportunity.

“We should not only have economic cooperation but also we have to work hard on peace and stability in the region,” he said. “The beauty of ASEAN is that nobody is bigger than the other.”

Umar welcomed South Korean efforts to bring ASEAN closer by establishing the AKC in Seoul 10 years ago. Apart from the AKC, there is the ASEAN Culture House in Busan, ASEAN Cultural Centre in Bangkok and ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta.

“But it would be nice if we had an ASEAN cultural center in Surabaya [East Java] or in Laos or Myanmar where people can come and study the culture of ASEAN as a whole because we share collective wisdom,” he said.

“Do we have a regional language as a lingua franca? To me personally, it would be better if we could grow the idea [of having a lingua franca] organically. Make ASEAN become a part of our life."

Umar also applauded the involvement of younger generations in the event.

“The government should create as many spaces as possible for the young generation to get involved and reach out to their friends from other countries.

“The reason why ASEAN exists is to promote economic cooperation and to maintain peace and stability in the region. We can’t separate these two. ASEAN is basically a regional integration process.

“Strategically, if we look at the global situation right now, the lack of multilateralism, the trade war and increase in hot spots for conflicts, ASEAN as a region is doing much better, relatively, than the rest of the world,” the envoy said. “We enjoy relative peace and stability and at the same time also enjoy cooperation among each other. It is very rare in the world today. It is a kind of a source of encouragement.”

A survey in mid-September revealed that 33 percent of 1,000 Korean respondents said they were aware of the relationship between ASEAN and South Korea.

“We are not satisfied with the number, as we are aiming for 80 percent of respondents to be aware,” explained Suh Jeong-in, executive director of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit Preparatory Office.

However, Suh, citing the survey, noted that 53 percent of respondents believed ASEAN was important for Korea.

“This is such a relief. Because the [Korean] people see ASEAN as an important partner for our country,” he added.

“The next question is how to boost the relationship between ASEAN and Korea.”

The bilateral trade volume between ASEAN and Korea doubled from US$75 billion in 1989 to $160 billion in 2018. The number of people-to-people exchanges reached 10 million in 2018.

The secretary-general of the AKC and organizer of the ASEAN-Korea Train, Lee Hyuk, said he found the program to be more meaningful this year because it marked the 10th anniversary of the AKC, which was set up to promote exchanges between the two sides in areas such as trade, culture, tourism and academics.

As the train was heading back to Yongsan Station in Seoul, delegates, performers and students said they had a good impression of the two-day program, which was packed with activities, including stops at UNESCO-listed Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, Ramsar Convention-accredited Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve in Suncheon and the Light of ASEAN, One Community and Harmony exhibition in Gwangju.

The whole program was closed on Friday night with the ASEAN-Korea Peace Wishing and Closing Ceremony, featuring performances from several ASEAN countries, including Indonesia’s Tiffani, who sang “Whistle” in collaboration with Karina, who modeled for kebaya designer Intan Avantie as part of the performance.

Photos and videos were shared, Instagram and Facebook accounts were filled with notifications from new friends and messages filled the mobile phones of delegates. All expressed optimism about the people of ASEAN and Korea continuing their connections even after the conclusion of the program.

— The Jakarta Post was invited by the ASEAN-Korea Centre to join the ASEAN-Korea Train program.