Asean a lifeline for South Korea, says adviser to President Yoon

Seoul’s plan to deepen ties with region includes some IOO items of cooperation

- Chang May Choon

Nothing is off the table as South Korea seeks to deepen ties with Southeast Asia, with a key adviser to the South Korean President describing the relations as a "lifeline and not a luxury item".

"The whole Asean region is very important to us," said Dr Park Cheol-hee, chancellor of the state-affiliated think-tank Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which also trains South Korean diplomats.

"There is nothing that we cannot do here, and we have a great advantage in approaching this region," he said.

"We have no historical baggage here like Japan has. Korea does not pose any security threat to any Asean country. We don't have any hidden agenda to exploit Asean economically or culturally. We are sharing our benefits. The good thing is we have laid a kind of trustworthy and reliable foundation of cooperation between Korea and Asean countries."

Dr Park spoke to The Sunday Times on May 3, the last day of his three-day trip to Singapore to meet think-tanks and senior Foreign Ministry officials.

South Korea made great strides in deepening engagement with South-east Asia during the administration of former president Moon Jae-in. He launched in 2017 his signature New Southern Policy, which sought to elevate ties with the regional bloc to the same level as four major powers the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

Mr Moon was the first South Korean president to visit all 10 Asean countries during his term. His government not only pushed to bolster economic cooperation with Asean nations, but also actively promoted the region to South Koreans ahead of the 2019 Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit.