As ASEAN and South Korea celebrate 30 years of ties, the partners are upbeat about an upcoming summit between the two “inseparable friends” that aims to unlock future cooperation, Seoul’s ambassador to the region has said.

At a reception commemorating the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations on Thursday, South Korean Ambassador to ASEAN Lim Sung-nam insisted that strengthening cooperation with ASEAN was not a choice but a necessity.

"ASEAN and Korea are inseparable friends who share their experiences and potential for a common future," he said, quoting a message from South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Attended by around distinguished 700 guests, including ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, members of the diplomatic community, Korean nationals and citizens of ASEAN states in Jakarta, the event was cohosted by the South Korean mission to ASEAN together with the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives and held in the newly expanded ASEAN Secretariat building in Jakarta.

Lim said ASEAN-Korean cooperation had grown since the implementation of Moon’s New Southern Policy, which aims to diversify the country’s diplomatic and economic ties by seeking upgraded ties with India and ASEAN as guided by the pillars of “people, prosperity and peace”.

As the world increasingly looks to ASEAN and India as significant drivers of global economic growth, South Korea intends to level up its relations in areas such as politics, the economy and culture — to the level it currently enjoys with the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

He said the relationship would become even stronger after the 19th ASEAN-South Korea Commemorative Summit that is to be held in Busan, South Korea, from Nov. 25 to 27, and is expected to gather together more than 10,000 attendees including leaders and officials from ASEAN member states as well as the business community and the general public.

Suh Jeong-in, executive director of the preparatory office for the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit, told The Jakarta Post on board the ASEAN-Korea Train recently that he wanted to ensure all ASEAN state leaders attended the summit. “I personally would like to see Indonesian President Joko [Jokowi] Widodo attend the event, especially after his inauguration,” he said. “In 2014, he also came to Busan for the summit after being elected president.”

Suh said that on the sidelines of the summit there would be many bilateral meetings between the leaders of ASEAN and South Korea. “There will be bilateral meetings and the signing of memorandums of understanding and agreements,” he said.

“We will also agree on the establishment of a Korea-ASEAN business cooperation center in Jakarta as well as a Korea-ASEAN science and technology center, also in Jakarta.”

During Thursday’s event ASEAN’s Lim congratulated the South Korean mission for hosting the event and responded in kind to the sentiment the strategic partners had become “inseparable friends”.

The ASEAN secretary-general acknowledged Seoul’s New Southern Policy and the form it took in President Moon’s latest visit to ASEAN member states, saying that “all these actions will enhance ASEAN-Korean cooperation in areas such as connectivity, small and medium enterprises [SMEs] [and] seamless administrative services”.

He said expected the Busan summit to be recorded as a historic milestone for both sides, and that they would thrive in future-oriented cooperation.

Currently, ASEAN is the East Asian nation’s second-largest trading partner after China. South Korea’s trade with the region totaled US$159.74 billion — $100.11 billion in exports and $59.63 billion in imports — as of 2018, according to the Korea International Trade Association.

In terms of outbound investments, the Export-Import Bank of Korea recorded $8.59 billion to ASEAN last year, meanwhile ASEAN pledged some $1.54 billion in investments to South Korea.

Furthermore, according to the Korea Tourism Organization, ASEAN is the most popular travel destination for South Koreans, with the tourist flow between the two partners surpassing 11 million visitors last year.

Thursday’s festivities ended with a number of cultural performances showcasing talented artists from both sides, including the 40-strong Asia Traditional Orchestra, Bruneian singer Jaz and K-pop star McKay. (tjs)

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