Korea’s relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have gone from strength to strength. Korea initiated sectoral dialogue relations in 1989 and is today a key strategic partner of ASEAN.

Now the ASEAN Community is being realized and the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on a People-Oriented, People-Centered ASEAN has demonstrated the ASEAN leaders’ intention to transform the regional body into an institution that prioritizes its peoples’ concerns, what role can Korea play to support this vital transformation?

For clarity, the term people-oriented is understood as implementing policies that promote peoples’ interests while people-centered is conceived as the involvement of all stakeholders in the decision making process of ASEAN’s activities.

The ultimate blueprint for bilateral cooperation is the five-year plan of action to implement the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity. The first POA was from 2011 to 2015 and the second POA is for 2016-2020.

The blueprint spells out areas for cooperation and is structured to follow the three main pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely political, economic and socio-cultural security.

When the POA is scrutinized, it becomes clear that its ability to contribute to the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 where the ASEAN members have pledged to realize a “rules-based, people-oriented, people-centered ASEAN” leaves much to be desired.

Many of the planned activities listed in the POA lack specificities and are difficult to measure. This is because they are couched in vague language. This “vagueness” is not necessarily the fault of Korea since it probably has to bear resemblance to the language used by ASEAN for the latter’s approval. 

However, with most of the funding for bilateral projects and activities in the POA coming from Korea, it would only be in the interest of the general public that the funds are spent wisely, planned activities lead to measurable outcomes, and the projects actually benefit the ASEAN people.

Only then can Korea be valued for its role in helping ASEAN transform into a people-centered institution.

How then can Korea serve as a more effective partner to ASEAN? Let me share three suggestions.

Firstly, develop a POA that is clear in language and takes the people of ASEAN as the focal point. This means activities planned under each of the three pillars should not merely enhance government to government relations or government to business relations but more importantly government to people relations.

Inclusivity is the key word and it has been aptly mentioned in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. There should be no reason why the ASEAN-Korea POA cannot contain areas of cooperation that focus on lifting ASEAN people out of political, economic or social insecurity and enhancing their dignity and well-being.

The expertise of researchers and grassroots community practitioners should be actively enlisted for their valuable input in drafting the POA. Timely progress and review reports should be carried out during the POA period and shared with the public.

Secondly, help pave the way and enlarge the space for civil society movements to be recognized as positive contributors and role players in ASEAN’s community building process.

As a democratic nation with vibrant civil society organizations, Korea is well positioned to help strengthen the capacity and organization of civil society movements in Southeast Asia. Many of the CSOs in the ASEAN region remain weak, marginalized and lack financial resources. They may be dependent on private donors and deprived of the opportunity to network and learn from other CSOs in ASEAN and Korea.

Although agencies such as the Korea International Cooperation Agency do work with certain CSOs in Southeast Asia through their Official Development Assistance programs, many remain unknown and unsupported.

It is incomprehensible to think that complex and multifaceted concerns such as nontraditional security, good governance and human rights, all mentioned in the POA, could be successfully addressed in this globalized era without the strong participation of CSOs.

Perhaps, it is worth pondering whether the problems of nontraditional threats such as transnational organized crime, human trafficking, illicit drugs and migration, to name a few, continue to exist despite regional efforts due to a weak engagement with civil society groups or otherwise. 

CSOs working in the area of human rights, health, environment and humanitarian relief, for example, should be consulted and their roles incorporated into the POA.

Overcoming threats that cause human insecurity requires a holistic approach, one that involves multiple actors.

Thirdly, the biggest impact of Korea’s relations with ASEAN would understandably come from the business sector. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement is underway and will further pave the way for more trade and investments when implemented.

Korea already has a free trade agreement with ASEAN. It is now ASEAN’s fifth-biggest trading partner with bilateral trade at $123 billion in 2015, and fifth-largest source of foreign direct investment with close to $6 billion flowing into the ASEAN region in 2015.

The realization of ASEAN’s economic integration would not only require the creative ideas, technical know-how and managerial skills of Korean firms, but effective partnerships with local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Southeast Asia.

It is thus imperative in ensuring that Korean companies investing in ASEAN countries adhere to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises that sets the standards and principles for responsible business conduct.

Korea should further refine its ODA policy to take into consideration the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and pursue a human security perspective where the promotion and protection of human rights outweigh the importance of economic development and business profits. An accountable and sustainable ODA policy must be accompanied by a strong sense of empathy for marginalized and voiceless groups.

It is high time Korea took more profound initiatives that can truly support ASEAN’s transformation.

By Benny Teh Cheng Guan

Benny Teh Cheng Guan is an associate professor at the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and is a visiting research fellow at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University. – Ed.