Yoon Establishes Highest-Level 'Comprehensive Partnership' with ASEAN (Comprehensive)

Korea-ASEAN Forge Highest-Level Partnership in 35 Years
Strengthening Cooperation in Politics, Security, Economy, and Socio-Cultural Fields
Joint Response to North Korea Issue... "Nuclear Provocations Absolutely Unacceptable"
"Freedom of Navigation in South China Sea"... Checking China's Military Activities
ASEAN's Digital Market Rapidly Growing... Yoon "Actively Cooperating"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit held at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Vientiane, Laos, on the 10th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the occasion of President Yoon Suk-yeol's attendance at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, South Korea and ASEAN established the highest-level partnership, the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP),' on the 10th. Amid increasing North Korean risks, South Korea and ASEAN are expected to further strengthen political and security cooperation and continue strategic coordination. They will also pursue future-oriented cooperation in economic and industrial sectors such as cyber, digital, and climate change.

President Yoon declared the establishment of the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' at the Korea-ASEAN Summit held in Vientiane, Laos, on the same day. Since beginning partial dialogue relations in 1989, South Korea and ASEAN established the 'Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership' in 2004 and the 'Strategic Partnership' in 2010, now advancing to the highest-level partnership. The Blue House explained, "This signifies that Korea-ASEAN relations have reached their best state."

Among the 11 dialogue partners of ASEAN, only five countries? the United States, China, Japan, India, and Australia?have established a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.' In his opening remarks at the summit, President Yoon said, "Based on the highest-level partnership, South Korea and ASEAN will write a new history of the future together," adding, "While continuing diplomacy that values ASEAN, Korea will promote all-round and comprehensive cooperation as a partner for shared prosperity."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is applauding after taking a commemorative photo with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and others at the Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit held on the 10th (local time) at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Vientiane, Laos. [Image source=Yonhap News]

With the adoption of the CSP joint statement, South Korea and ASEAN presented a future-oriented cooperation vision centered on three core pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural sectors.

First, in the political-security sector, the Korea-ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting will be held face-to-face for the first time next month, and strategic coordination and security cooperation will be strengthened, including support for enhancing ASEAN's cybersecurity capabilities. As North Korea completely severed roads and railways connected to South Korea and began fortification work yesterday, increasing pressure on South Korea, close cooperation on North Korean issues between Korea and ASEAN is expected going forward. President Yoon stated at the meeting that only our united will and actions to never tolerate North Korea's nuclear provocations can guarantee peace in the region.

In particular, South Korea and ASEAN will also strengthen cooperation in the economic sector. Next year, the Korea-ASEAN Think Tank Dialogue will be launched to jointly respond to the rapidly changing trade environment. Additionally, the Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation Flagship Project will commence within the year, and cooperation will be pursued to build eco-friendly future societies such as smart cities. Earlier, in a written interview with Singapore's Straits Times, President Yoon expressed his intention to actively cooperate in digital transformation (DX) and eco-friendly fields, noting that ASEAN is one of the fastest-growing digital markets in the world.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo with Prime Minister Son Say Siphandone of Laos and others at the Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit held at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Vientiane, Laos, on the 10th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, in the socio-cultural sector, training programs for 40,000 ASEAN-origin students will be promoted over the next five years, and a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) scholarship program will be launched next year to build a foundation for youth and future generations. The aim is to pursue sustainable development together, looking not only at the present but also the future. Over the past 35 years, trade between South Korea and ASEAN has increased 23-fold, investment 80-fold, and people-to-people exchanges 37-fold, demonstrating close ties in various fields.

In the joint statement, South Korea and ASEAN declared that they "continue to reaffirm the importance of maintaining and enhancing peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)." They also stipulated that they "promote the peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for international law based on universally recognized principles of international law." This is interpreted as a measure to check China's military activities in the South China Sea.

In the afternoon, President Yoon will also hold a Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Laos. This is their first meeting, just nine days after Ishiba took office. Given the short time during the multilateral meetings, it will be difficult to discuss specific issues, but it is expected that they will form a consensus to build a more stable cooperative relationship amid the serious security environment. President Yoon will also hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Canada, Australia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.