With ASEAN gearing up for political, economic and social integration, the envisioned community will provide crucial lessons to Northeast Asia, which is struggling to build trust in the face of historical and territorial animosities, according to the chief of the ASEAN-Korea Center.

Chung Hae-moon also forecast that next week’s summit in Busan would help relations between Korea and ASEAN evolve into a more substantive and robust partnership at the regional and global levels.

“After 25 years of mutually beneficial cooperation, now is the time to develop the bilateral ties into a regional and global partnership and promote common agendas such as disaster management and response, drug trafficking, cybercrimes, antiterrorism, climate change and sustainable development,” he told The Korea Herald.

“When the ASEAN community is launched, it will send a message to Northeast Asia ― that they, too, should spur cooperation and work for the integration of greater East Asia.” 

Marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties, President Park Geun-hye is poised to hold a commemorative summit in the port city with the leaders of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ― Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The 11 leaders will review the relationship, formulate a vision for the future partnership and confer on key bilateral, regional and global issues. They are expected to present a vision statement at the end of the meeting.

The event comes as the regional bloc is speeding up efforts to introduce the ASEAN Community next year for greater security, economic and sociocultural integration. Around 88 percent of the measures essential for the initiative have been implemented, it says.

When the community sets sail, it will “send a message” to Northeast Asia, where historical and territorial rows still shackle collaboration, Chung said. 

“ASEAN states have been going through a multitude of difficulties over the last five decades is the process of establishing a community. Northeast Asia, too, can take a page from their book for regional cooperation,” he said.

“The ASEAN community, which will be the most successful regional coalition since the European Union, may exert pressure on Northeast Asia and hopefully serve as a catalyst for the integration of East Asia.”

The 62-year-old former career diplomat took the helm at the center in 2012, after serving for 35 years in such posts as ambassador to Greece and Thailand, embassy minister in Vienna, and director of Southeast Asian affairs at the Foreign Ministry.

The Seoul-based organization was set up in 2009 to help boost trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two sides.

To help promote the summit, the center has been hosting a slew of cultural events since last month, including a film festival, youth forum, bus tour to promote tourism and outdoor exhibition of models representing architectural landmarks in 10 ASEAN countries.

The film festival marks the first time ever that movies made in all 10 member states will be screened together, Chung said. Directors from seven countries and critics took part and met with audiences, including Anthony Chen, who shot the award-winning Singaporean film “Ilo Ilo.”

“The role of the center is diversifying ever in line with its growing awareness,” the secretary-general said.

“In the future, it will need to open chapters in other cities here and work more with the ASEAN-China and ASEAN-Japan centers, the Seoul-based Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (between Korea, China and Japan), other multilateral institutions and think tanks.”

Alongside China and Japan, Korea is one of ASEAN’s major dialogue partners and participants in ASEAN-based multilateral gatherings including ASEAN Plus Three, the East Asia Summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

With the three countries vying for a bigger presence in Southeast Asia, Chung has been striving to work together with his counterparts in Beijing and Tokyo to create synergy through joint research and projects.

“Korea is not in a position to push for large-scale assistance or economic cooperation as Beijing and Tokyo do, but there are areas where only we can appeal to ASEAN ― that’s software,” Chung said.

“We revived the national economy from the ground up and now boast global corporations and entrepreneurs. Our success story and can-do spirit, that’s the kind of things we can offer, and that’s precisely what they need given their current levels of development.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)