Korea, ASEAN to mark 20 years of friendship in special summit By Byun Duk-kun

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will mark their 20th year of diplomatic relations next month with a special summit meeting aimed at further strengthening their ties and boosting cooperation, Seoul said Wednesday.

The summit will be held on the southern resort island of Jeju on June 1-2, and
will be attended by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the heads of state
of the 10 member countries of ASEAN -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
"At the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit, the leaders will discuss the
developments of cooperative relations between Korea and the countries in the
ASEAN region over the past 20 years, and examine ways to further develop their
relationship in the future," Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.
Seoul's relationship with the regional body significantly improved after it
established a "dialogue partnership" with ASEAN in 1989.
Korean trade with the association's members jumped from less than US$40 billion
in 2003 to over $90 billion last year, making the country ASEAN's third-largest
trading partner, and ASEAN the fifth-largest for Korea.
South Korea has provided nearly $235 million in official development assistance
to ASEAN since 1991, and annually provides $3 million to a cooperation fund,
according to ASEAN-Korea Center, an inter-governmental organization set up in
March under a 2008 agreement.
Along with their economic cooperation, cultural and personnel exchanges have also
grown significantly over the past 20 years.
Over 3.3 million South Korean tourists visited the Southeast Asian countries last
year alone, up from some 1.1 million in 1995. About 800,000 people from ASEAN
member states visited Korea in 2008.
The South Korean government is hoping the Jeju summit will further boost economic
cooperation. The attending leaders are expected to sign an investment treaty
that, according to President Lee, will bring negotiations for a free trade deal
to "a wholesome conclusion."
The meeting will also provide an opportunity to enhance diplomatic cooperation in
fighting the global economic and financial crises and dealing with other
international issues, such as climate change.
The countries are working to establish a $120-billion regional monetary fund with
Japan and China under the so-called Chiang Mai Initiative that will help fight
short-term regional liquidity problems.
President Lee will also seek to improve individual ties with the Southeast Asian
nations through bilateral summits with all ASEAN leaders, according to Cheong Wa
Dae.
"Asia's role and responsibility in the international community remained
relatively small in the past. But in recent years, especially as we entered the
21st century, Asia has emerged as a great power economically and in many other
aspects," the South Korean president said in a recent meeting here with
journalists from ASEAN countries.
"That is why cooperation within the Asian region is important and that is why it
is especially important to improve ties between Korea and ASEAN," Lee had said.
The special summit also comes amid Seoul's new diplomatic campaign, the so-called
"New Asia Initiative," which aims to form economic and diplomatic cooperation
networks within the region to promote Asia's interests in the international
community.
Korea and ASEAN regularly hold talks on the sidelines of a regional forum known
as the ASEAN Plus Three Summit that is also attended by China and Japan, but this
is the first time Korea will host a special summit with ASEAN.
A two-day meeting involving hundreds of business leaders, academics and
government officials from Korea and ASEAN will also be held before the summit's
start to discuss opportunities for economic cooperation.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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