[Square] The New Normal of Korea-ASEAN People-to-People Exchange

[Asia Economy] As COVID-19 vaccination expands, the world is now preparing for another new normal.

Iceland issued the world's first vaccination certificate in January, and the European Union (EU) has decided to implement the EU Digital COVID Certificate starting in July.

Movements to resume human exchanges based on vaccination proof are gradually becoming visible. One of the regions most urgently needing the introduction and establishment of this new normal is ASEAN.

Tourism was a major source of income, accounting for 12.1% of ASEAN's total GDP in 2019, but last year, foreign tourists decreased by 81%, and tourism revenue dropped by 76%. Especially Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand, which have famous tourist destinations such as Angkor Wat, Cebu, and Phuket, suffered greater damage as tourism accounted for more than 20% of their economies.

Since the early days of the pandemic, ASEAN has been alert to this issue. Following the recommendation of the ASEAN Special Tourism Ministers' Meeting in April last year, the ASEAN Summit in November adopted a declaration to establish the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework (ATCAF).

ATCAF initially focused on the movement of businesspeople but also considers facilitating visits to ASEAN by non-ASEAN nationals for other purposes such as tourism. At a special ASEAN Summit in April to discuss the Myanmar situation, ASEAN leaders also encouraged the early establishment of ATCAF.

ASEAN member countries are also preparing the new normal for human exchanges "slowly but steadily," observing the COVID-19 situation and vaccination rates. Thailand announced a quarantine exemption policy for vaccinated visitors to Phuket starting in July, and Singapore discussed mutual recognition of vaccination certificates with Malaysia.

However, concerns remain significant. Amid the recent severe virus spread in some ASEAN countries, there are warnings that a second India, suffering from variant viruses, could emerge in ASEAN.

Moreover, the widely varying vaccination rates among ASEAN countries are expected to pose obstacles. Additionally, since ASEAN's level of integration is lower than the EU's and there is a significant technological gap among member countries, it is considered premature to implement vaccination certificate recognition across all of ASEAN.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 is also hindering the implementation of the New Southern Policy. The essence of diplomacy is interpersonal meetings, and the New Southern Policy emphasizes strengthening Korea-ASEAN relations centered on people.

ASEAN is the most preferred travel destination for Koreans, with 10 million Koreans visiting in 2019. In the same year, 2.69 million ASEAN nationals visited Korea. Although mutual visits last year fell below 2 million, without COVID-19, the number would have reached 15 million.

One important vision shared by Korea and ASEAN in coping with COVID-19 is to use this not merely to overcome the immediate crisis but as a stepping stone for future leaps.

Although the pandemic situation remains uncertain and vaccination is still ongoing, now is the time to prepare the new normal for human exchanges between Korea and ASEAN.

Coincidentally, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum also emphasized that, on the premise that it does not hinder quarantine, efforts should be accelerated for mutual recognition of vaccination with major countries.

We believe that our strengths in IT and e-government systems will be important assets in preparing for this new normal.