Participants at the event pose for a group photo. Source: Vietnam Mission to ASEAN

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ambassador to ASEAN Kwon Hee-seog co-chaired the 9th meeting of ASEAN-Korea Joint Cooperation Committee (AKJCC) on May 24.

The two sides noted the progress made in the ASEAN-RoK cooperation over the past year, including following up on the outcomes of the 22nd ASEAN-RoK Summit in October 2021 and activities to implement various areas of cooperation under the ASEAN-RoK Plan of Action (2021-2025), VietnamPlus said.

Within the framework of the key cooperation mechanism - the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), 20 projects are being implemented with a total investment of $56 million, focusing on five priority areas of education and training, the environment, economic recovery, culture and tourism, and health.

In addition, there are nine projects waiting for approval, including large-scale ones such as “Clean Air for Sustainable ASEAN ” (CASA) worth $11 million.

On this occasion, the RoK side announced to increase its annual contribution to the fund from $14 million USD to $16 million.

The RoK ambassador reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting the centrality of ASEAN, the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, and the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF), and promote cooperation within the framework of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo- Pacific (AOIP).

At the ASEAN-RoK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in August 2021. Photo: VNA

Ambassador Bang and others ASEAN officials appreciated the close and long-term cooperation commitment of the RoK, while proposing strengthening cooperation in many fields such as education-training, infrastructure cooperation, connectivity, narrowing the development gap, smart city and sustainable development, climate change and environmental protection.

The two sides also expressed their delight at the upcoming establishment of a series of cooperation mechanisms, including ministerial-level meetings on disaster handling, and infrastructure and smart city.

In March 2022, the two sides inaugurated the ASEAN-RoK financial cooperation centre in Jakarta. They are working together to promote the establishment of two other centres for cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

The Mission of the RoK to ASEAN organised the ASEAN-Korea Business Forum on May 19. It will host forums and seminars on transport, digital transformation, maritime connectivity, labour, and marine waste treatment in 2022.

Importance of the ASEAN-Korea Relations

ASEAN and the RoK first established sectoral dialogue relations in November 1989. Photo: Internet

ASEAN and the RoK first established sectoral dialogue relations in November 1989. The RoK was accorded full Dialogue Partner status by ASEAN at the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in 1991 in Kuala Lumpur.

The year 2004 marked the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations. To commemorate the event and to chart the future of relations in the 21st century, ASEAN and the RoK a concluded a Joint Declaration at the ASEAN-RoK Summit in 2004 in Vientiane. The Joint Declaration provided a blueprint to advance ASEAN-RoK relations in a more comprehensive and substantive manner.

In 2005, the Joint Declaration was followed by an agreement on an ASEAN-RoK Plan of Action to promote political security, economic, social, and cultural cooperation and to support ASEAN’s goal for a fully integrated ASEAN community by 2020 (including an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Plan of Action specifically aimed to implement the goals set out in the Joint Declaration.

In 2009, which marked the 20th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between ASEAN and the OK, the ASEAN-RoK Centre was established. It was founded in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the 10 ASEAN Member States and the RoK at the 11th ASEAN-RoK Summit in 2007.

During the 13th ASEAN-RoK Summit in 2010 in Hanoi, the leaders agreed to elevate ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations from comprehensive cooperation to a strategic partnership and adopted the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-RoK Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity and its Action Plan, which covers the period of 2011-2015.

In 2017, ASEAN Culture House was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RoK as a follow-up project to the 2014 ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit. It is currently operated by the Korea Foundation to promote the cultures and societies of ASEAN countries among Koreans, according to Korea Eximbank./.

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