Senior officials of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (ROK) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) at the 29th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue held today in Bangkok.
The Meeting acknowledged the positive momentum of ASEAN-ROK cooperation following the establishment of the CSP in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of Dialogue Relations in 2024. Substantive progress has been achieved across a wide range of areas of cooperation under the ASEAN-ROK Plan of Action (POA) 2021-2025, including political and security cooperation, trade and investment, digital transformation, tourism, energy, environment, disaster management, education, culture, youth and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides looked forward to the finalisation of the successor POA for the term 2026–2030, which is expected to be adopted by the Foreign Ministers of both sides in July 2025 during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the ROK.
The ROK expressed its support for Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and priorities this year under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”. The ROK also affirmed its continued support for ASEAN Community-building efforts and ASEAN Centrality, including the implementation of the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future that will be adopted at the 46th ASEAN Summit.
ASEAN and the ROK renewed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the CSP. Focus will be placed on key areas such as trade and investment, including through the upgrade of the ASEAN-ROK Free Trade Are (AKFTA), digital transformation, cybersecurity, clean energy, ASEAN Power Grid, smart cities, climate change and environmental, education and youth empowerment, and narrowing the development gap. ASEAN welcomed the ROK’s implementation of various initiatives under the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) to further enhance cooperation.
Both sides also agreed to continue advancing practical cooperation in the four priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), in accordance with the Joint Statement on Cooperation on the AOIP adopted at the 24th ASEAN-ROK Summit in 2023.
The Meeting exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the situations on the Korean Peninsula, in South China Sea, in Myanmar, in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation amidst the ongoing global uncertainties, including the need to uphold multilateralism and the open and free trading system.
The 29th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue was co-chaired by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SOM Leader of Thailand, Eksiri Pintaruchi, and Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, SOM Leader of the ROK, Chung Byung-won. It was attended by Senior Officials of ASEAN Member States and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community. Timor-Leste attended as Observer.
Source: ASEAN
Share:
<p>Time: 2024 By: Ministry of Industry and Trade</p>
