The ASEAN-Korea Center held a reception last week to celebrate its seventh anniversary and eighth annual council meeting, on the back of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Community launched at the end of last year.

The reception at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Thursday drew ASEAN Council members who flew to Korea for the event as well as diplomats and scholars from both sides.

Korea’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hong-kyun said in a speech that the community’s inauguration was “not only a historic event in itself, but opened a new chapter in our partnership,” unlocking a mega market of 6.3 billion people and a $2.5 trillion gross domestic product, the seven largest in the world.

“Without doubt, it is poised to become a leading powerhouse driving East Asia’s growth,” he stressed, adding that “ASEAN and Korea can grow together as partners for prosperity.” 

Noting that ASEAN is Korea’s second largest trade and investment partner, the deputy minister forecasted that “an economically integrated and vibrant ASEAN” -- with freer movement of goods, services and people -- would allow it to become “even more attractive” as a destination.

On the political front, Kim said, ASEAN has been spearheading regional integration efforts under the banner “unity in diversity.” “As ASEAN aspires to build a peaceful and prosperous community, its voice and stakes are continuing to grow on the international stage,” he added.

On security cooperation, the two sides are working closely together to meet common traditional and non-traditional challenges affecting both regions and the world, according to the diplomat, who also mentioned recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ statements that condemned North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in early January.

Kim acknowledged the center’s contribution and said that it has played “a pivotal role as a promoter, connector and facilitator of ASEAN-Korea ties,” providing resources and services as a leading authority in the region and in Korea, as well as facilitating social and cultural exchanges, particularly among youths.

Deputy Director-General of Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ekkaphab Phanthavong, said in a speech that this year will be crucial for both ASEAN and Laos, as the community was launched for the first time and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 will be implemented.

The vision, adopted in 2013, aims to realize “a politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible ASEAN” for the next generations. Toward this end, Phanthavong said that the organization will finalize the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III and the Post-2015 Agenda for ASEAN Connectivity, both of which are integral to the vision 2025.

The Laos diplomat highlighted that substantive progress has been made between ASEAN and Korea, pointing to the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan in December 2014, as well as ongoing projects and programs under various plans of action.

“At the 17th ASEAN-ROK Summit in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia,” Phanthavong said, “Our leaders reaffirmed their commitment to foster closer cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises, narrow inter and intraregional development gas, and promote great trade and investment between ASEAN and Korea, with a target of increasing two-way trade to $200 billion by 2020.”

He expressed hope that the center would continue to carry out concrete programs and projects and encourage the involvement of companies through the bilateral free trade agreement that entered into force between June 2007 and June 2009.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)