Moon vows to strengthen ties between South Korea and Asean

South Korean President Moon Jae-In speaks during the 19th Asean-ROK Summit on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. (Photo from an RTVM video)

Publication: 7:36 p.m., Nov. 13, 2017 | Updated: 9:05 p.m., Nov. 13, 2017

Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in is determined to upscale the level of bilateral cooperation between his country and the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

During his opening speech delivered on Monday at the 19th Asean-ROK Summit on the sidelines of the 31st Asean Summit in Manila, Moon reiterated his support for the regional bloc.

“On behalf of the Republic of Korea government and its people, I pay tribute to the magnificent achievements made by Asean during the past five decades,” Moon said.

“The Korean government supports the efforts of the Asean,” he added. “And I’m determined to bring Korea and Asean relations to a new height and upscale the level of bilateral cooperation.”

He also assured Asean that the cooperation would “benefit and would bring prosperity for both sides.”

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who chairs the 31st Asean Summit, said the tone of Monday’s summit had been set back in May when Moon took office and signaled the Asean’s place in his foreign policy by dispatching the country’s special envoy to the Asean.

“The Asean-ROK ties have grown over the past 28 years with our dialogue relations elevated to the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity,‘ Duterte said in his opening speech.

“The latest statistics show a robust Asean and ROK tied an investment in tourism. Socio-cultural cooperation between us continue to grow,” he added.

Duterte led the Asean-ROK Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the summit resulted in the crafting of the following documents:

• Chairman’s Statement of the 19th Asean-Republic of Korea Summit
• Executive Report on the Progress of the Implementation of the Asean-Republic of Korea (ROK) Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (2016-2020)
• List of Activities for 2017 Asean-ROK Cultural Exchange Year

Roque said the two presidents also expressed grave concern on the latest development in the Korean peninsula and has called for its peaceful denuclearization and the early resumption of six-party talks and dialogue within the context of Asean legal framework.

The Asean and the ROK initiated its sectoral dialogue relations in November 1989, which eventually led to the granting of a full dialogue partner status to the ROK at the 24th Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in July 1991 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In 1997, the Asean-ROK partnership was elevated to a summit level in Kuala Lumpur. /atm