Commemorative reception for the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN - Korea Dialogue Relations

2019 ASEAN - Republic of KOREA Commemorative summit The 1st Mekong - Republic of KOREA Summit, More than 10.000 attendees are expected to participate in the summit and other special event, including the leaders and delegations of ASEAN countries and the general public and business people of the two regions, the summit will play a crucial role in significantly advancing the relations between Korea and ASEAN.

Korea hosted two special summits with ASEAN in jeju and busan in 2009 and 2014 respectively and the third special summit will be held in busan this year, this makes Korea the first nation to host all of the three special summit in it's own country with asean out of all the countries that have a dialogue relationship with the regional body, which is a testament to ASEAN trust in and support of korea commitment to cooperation with the region, this year meeting will serve as an opportunity to evaluate the 30 years of the Asean - Korea relations and present a vision for the next 30 years.

The New Southern Policy, announced in 2017 by President Moon, is Korea’s new foreign policy that aims to strengthen its relations with ASEAN and India and to create a “people-centered community” guided by the principles of the 3P—people, prosperity, and peace. As ASEAN and India are two regions with significant growth potential, Korea intends to raise the level of its relations with the two regions in such areas as politics, economy, and culture to the level of relations it has with the US, Japan, China, and Russia. Given the challenging economic environment caused by the spread of protectionism and the need for cooperation to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, diversification in foreign relations and economy has become not an option but a requirement.

By completing a tour of all ten ASEAN countries in September, President Moon has solidified the foundation to accelerate the implementation of the New Southern Policy. The 2019 ASEAN - Republic of KOREA Commemorative Summit and the 1st Mekong-Republic of KOREA Summit,

which are scheduled to be held from November 25 to 27 in Busan, will serve as a catalyst to significantly advance the Policy.

Asean full of growth and potential, ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the political and economic regional grouping founded in 1967 to jointly address regional issues. It consists of ten member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Composed of countries with different religions, ethnicities, languages, political systems, and economic levels, the region officially launched the ASEAN Community in 2015 to begin the journey toward a politically united, economically integrated, and socially

responsible community. This integration is underpinned by respect for diversity and a young population, which is expected to serve as the main driver of the region’s further growth.

Korean And ASEAN, Since establishing a dialogue partnership in 1989, Korea and ASEAN have maintained a high level of cooperation. As of 2018, Korea’s trade with the region reached $160 billion ($100 billion in exports and $60 billion in imports), making ASEAN the country’s second largest trading partner.

ASEAN is the most popular travel destination for Koreans and the number of visitors between the two regions surpassed the 11 million mark in 2018. Bilateral cultural exchanges have also expanded, with the Korean language and Korea’s pop culture gaining huge popularity in ASEAN and the ASEAN Culture House launching in Korea in

2017. As all ten member countries of ASEAN have diplomatic ties with the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the ASEAN region is a crucial partner of the former on key issues involving the Korean Peninsula. The two regions also cooperate on a wide range of non-traditional security issues such as disasters, ocean security, and terrorism.

Mekong 5 Countries, the main drive of further Growth, The Mekong is a transboundary river that traverses the five countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, thailand, and Viet Nam. the 4,900 kilometer-long river is the longest in Southeast Asia. In the Mekong region, the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, VietNam) have posted an average annual growth of 6% over the years, spearheading ASEAN's rapid growth. In particular, a large population of young workers is a source of the dynamism and high growth potential of the making region.

Korea and the mekong region, Recognizing the growth potential of the region, Korea has cooperated with Mekong countries in a host of areas such as public health, rural development, infrastructure, and ICT. On a cumulative basis, as of 2017 Korea has offered $3.3 billion in official development assistance (ODA) to the four Mekong nations of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, accounting for approximately 21% of Korea’s total bilateral ODA.

Compared to 2011, bilateral trade more than doubled in 2018 to stand at $84.5 billion, with annual mutual visits tripling to seven million people. In September 2019, President Moon Jae-in announced the Korea-Mekong Vision and pledged to actively share Korea’s experience with Mekong countries so that the Miracle on the Han River can lead to the Miracle on the Mekong River.