FM calls for close interagency efforts for successful S. Korea-ASEAN summit

SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Tuesday called for close cooperation between ministries and related agencies in preparing for a planned summit of leaders of Southeast Asian countries so as to produce a meaningful outcome. South Korea is hosting a gathering of the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the southeastern port city of Busan slated for Nov. 25-27. The gathering comes as Seoul has been pushing to boost economic and cultural ties with partners in the region, a key foreign policy drive of President Moon Jae-in known as the New Southern Policy. Moon visited the region early this month. "The ASEAN summit will serve as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for sustainable cooperation that will enable the New Southern Policy to make a leap forward," Kang told officials at a preparatory meeting for the ASEAN summit. "We ought to work to produce an outcome that will benefit all peoples of South Korea and the 10 ASEAN nations." She also called for efforts to promote the occasion in the best way it can to draw interest from the public. Tuesday's meeting was attended by some 35 government and public entities responsible for organizing the summit, in which they discussed various projects and plans to be discussed during the summit, such as free trade, visa benefits and boosting exchanges in finance and education. The ASEAN summit will be followed by a separate summit of South Korea and the countries along the Mekong River, which will involve Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, also to be held in Busan on Nov. 27. elly@yna.co.kr (END)