The ASEAN-Korea Center will host a forum on “Korea’s contribution to ASEAN connectivity” on Oct. 21 at the Convention Center of the Federation of Korean Industries in an effort to link Korean construction firms and investors to infrastructure-building opportunities in Southeast Asia.

The goal of “ASEAN connectivity” is to solidify commercial exchanges between the 10 member nations of the organization: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. By expanding the flow of goods, peoples, services and capital, the member states aims to facilitate regional economic integration under the aegis of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.

The forum will provide information on the current statuses and challenges of projects through various public-private partnerships. High-ranking government officials from ASEAN and the Asia Development Bank will participate.

The morning seminar and one-on-one business meeting session in the afternoon will provide networking opportunities for the Korean business community, ASEAN public agencies and construction experts.

With less than two months left before the Korea-ASEAN Summit in Busan on Dec. 11 and 12, the event will be a litmus test of wider interregional commerce, which will be discussed comprehensively at the upcoming high-level conference.

The ASEAN region, with a population of 600 million, is Korea’s second-largest trading partner after China and third-largest investment destination. By making further inroads in Southeast Asia, Korean companies can capitalize on the soaring developmental demands for residential, industrial and infrastructural construction.

On Oct. 8, South Korean President Park Geun-hye convened a meeting with ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh, underscoring the Korean government’s commitment to support transport, communications, information technology, legal and human resources in the developing region.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)