Minister Kang Kyung-hwa: "Korea's 'New Southern Plus' Welcomed by ASEAN Countries... Requires Nationwide Interest and Support"

Commemoration Ceremony of the 1st Anniversary of the Korea-ASEAN Special Summit '2020 Busan-ASEAN Week'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 26th, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha introduced the major achievements of the recently held ASEAN-related summit meetings through a video congratulatory message at the ‘2020 Busan-ASEAN Week’ ceremony held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Korea-ASEAN Special Summit last year, and reiterated the government's commitment to the successful implementation of the New Southern Policy Plus.

The seven strategic directions of the New Southern Policy Plus are △comprehensive post-COVID-19 healthcare cooperation, △sharing Korea’s education model and supporting human resource development, △bilateral cultural exchange, △establishing a mutually beneficial and sustainable trade and investment base, △supporting win-win rural and urban infrastructure development, △cooperation in future industries for shared prosperity, and △cooperation in non-traditional security sectors.

In her congratulatory message, Minister Kang said, "At the Korea-ASEAN summit held two weeks ago, President Moon Jae-in announced the new New Southern Policy, namely the New Southern Policy Plus, reflecting the COVID-19 pandemic situation," adding, "All ASEAN country leaders welcomed and supported this."

She continued, "At the 2nd Korea-Mekong summit, it was agreed to elevate Korea-Mekong relations to a strategic partnership, and on the last day, 15 countries including ASEAN and Korea signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), achieving significant results."

She requested continued interest for the success of the New Southern Policy Plus. Minister Kang said, "For the success of the New Southern Policy Plus, comprehensive government-wide and nationwide interest and support are essential not only in ASEAN but also domestically," adding, "I hope this ASEAN Week will be a good opportunity to seriously discuss and gather wisdom on concrete measures to further strengthen Korea-ASEAN cooperation."