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.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 05, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 05, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MIDFIELD MISHAP RUINS SEND-OFF
Netherlands beat Iceland 4-0 but de Jong, Koopmeiners ruled out of Euro with injuries
Inconsistent Clark seeks momentum at US Open
Defending US Open champion Wyndham Clark is frustrated because he has not played consistently in recent weeks and he is not even sure why practice success is not replicated in competition.
FOREST GOLD IS FIT AGAIN, HAS EYE ON STAMINA TEST
Southern Speed and Great Command also look polished in gallops on training track
Tim Cook controls the iPhone, so he's the new AI kingmaker
Apple’s OpenAl deal means it acknowledges it is behind on Al, but make no mistake, it is temporary outsourcing.
Singapore steps up scrutiny of family offices and hedge funds
Authorities demanding more data, ramping up closures of dormant firms in wake of scandals
Platform helps firms boost IT ops via hybrid multi-cloud solutions
Developed by Nutanix and Dell, it lets them operate different applications from one place
Apple looks to AI as way of reversing fall in iPhone sales
Apple’s developer conference on June 10 was about more than infusing its software with the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including from ChatGPT.
Jail for man who kept scamming victims even while out on bail
He was released on bail three times but kept up cheating spree until kept in remand
Singapore employers turning to Tik Tok to recruit staff
Firms say video-sharing platform allows them to connect with Gen Z talent
Two S'pore firms to test mobile charging service for EVs until 2028
2 others get permits to test battery charging and swopping for electric heavy vehicles