K-A Forum Founded to Cement Korean-ASEAN Ties

Parliamentarians and ambassadors assemble for a dinner to celebrate its founding and discuss future direction of relationship

Six Korean lawmakers and 10 ASEAN ambassadors and representatives got together for a dinner at the National Assembly VIP Restaurant on July 29 to celebrate the inauguration of the Korean-ASEAN Forum, dubbed the "K-A Forum," to support improved ties between Korea and ASEAN countries.
The inauguration of the K-A Forum is a step to follow up on the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit held on Jeju Island on June 1-2, in which Korea and 10 ASEAN countries reconfirmed their resolution to further upgrade their ties as a strategic partnership on the basis of Korean President Lee Myung-bak's New Asia Initiative focusing on the reinforcement of diplomacy toward ASEAN, the founding members of the forum said.
Among those on hand at the dinner were Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, president of the Korea-Thailand Parliamentarians Friendship Association and concurrently chairman of the K-A Forum; Amb. Lim Samkol, of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Rep. Lee Byung-suk, chairman of the National Assembly Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs Committee and concurrently vice chairman of the forum; Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan; Rep. Jeong Tae-keun, secretary general of the forum; Rep. Park Jin, chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee; MOFAT Director-General for South East Asian and Pacific Affairs Choi Jong-moon; Amb. U Myo Lwin of the Embassy of the Union of Myanmar; Amb. Soukthavone Keola of the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Amb. Dato Paduka Awang Haji Harun bin Haji Ismail of the Embassy of Brunei Darussalam; Amb. Dato ramlan bin Ibrahim of the Embassy of Malaysia; Amb. Luis Teodoro Cruz of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines; Amb. Chua Thai Keong of the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore, and Foster Gultom, minister of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.
The founding members of the forum consist of 10 lawmakers, sent as presidential special envoys to the 10 ASEAN countries prior to the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit ― Rep. Hun Tae-yeol and Rep. Cho Hae-jin, presidential emissaries to Thailand and Myanmar; Rep. Gong Sung-jin and Rep. Hwang Young-cheul to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam; Rep. Park Soon-ja and Rep. Kim Young-woo to the Philippines and Singapore; Rep. Song Kwang-ho and Rep. Choi Ku-sik to Malaysia and Cambodia; and Rep. Lee Byung-suk and Rep. Jeong Tae-keun to Vietnam and Laos; Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, Rep. Park Jin and Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, president of the Korea-Indonesia Parliamentarians' Friendship Association.
Rep. Hwang, the chairman of the forum, said in an opening speech, "ASEAN is the third largest trading partner of Korea, so ties between Korea and ASEAN have evolved into an inseparable one."










He expressed hope that relations between Korea and ASEAN would be further expanded, adding that the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Jeju capped the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement between both sides, but the reality is that they have a lot of things to work on together.
The chairman stressed the parliament's role in addressing diverse issues, including budgeting and institutional overhauls involving several government agencies in an intensive and simultaneous manner. He expressed his hope that this forum will provide an opportunity to share friendship in overcoming obstacles.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu said in a commemorative speech, "I extend a whole-hearted thanks to the National Assembly's active support in holding the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, dispatching parliamentarians as presidential envoys to coordinate ways of promoting cooperation between Korea and ASEAN countries."
The minister said Korean President Lee announced the establishment of the New Asia Initiative during his trip to Malaysia last March. He urged the National Assembly to play a more active part in making ties between Korea and ASEAN substantive ones, saying the government's role is limited.
Rep. Park Jin said, "Parliamentarians have so far engaged in diplomatic activities on an individual basis, but this forum will contribute to raising their activities to a comprehensive, higher level."
Rep. Lee, vice chairman of the forum, said, "The Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit appeared to foretell success, given the style of Korean President Lee in which special envoys were sent with the goal of encouraging heads of state to participate in the Jeju summit. He came up with steps to follow up his New Asia Initiative, departing from ending with a declaration or rhetoric, and this forum is aimed at discussing ties between Korea and ASEAN from the parliamentary perspective."
The participating ambassadors and embassy representatives shared the view that they welcome President Lee's New Asia Initiative and they want to accelerate the momentum the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit provided to shore up and upgrade ties between both sides, adding that Korea and ASEAN countries have great potential to promote co-prosperity.
Malaysian Ambassador Dato said, "The forum will provide a platform to advance the desire for future relations between ASEAN and the ROK." He stressed the momentum the Jeju summit provided and the need to make efforts to enhance mutual relations.
The Singaporean ambassador touched on the three highlights of the Korean-ASEAN relationship: an average of 4 million people travel between Korea and ASEAN countries yearly; both sides have huge potential in ties between both sides, with the former having a younger population making them prospective customers for the likes of Samsung products; and for Korea, a more aging society, more and more Korean people emigrate to ASEAN countries. He expressed the hope that the forum would evolve into a meeting in which representatives from embassies in Seoul could participate and hold events.
The Philippine ambassador cited the useful meeting between his embassy and the minister of foreign affairs and other ministers in coordinating policies, including issues related to migratory workers. He said he expects the forum to pursue a more comprehensive approach toward relations between Korea and ASEAN countries.
Rep. Jeong, secretary general of the forum, who officiated at the event, introduced President-Publisher Elizabeth M. Oh of NewsWorld, which gave a series of coverage, including the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Jeju. nw

Korean lawmakers and ASEAN ambassadors in Korea discuss the future direction of Korea-ASEAN ties at a dinner at the National Assembly VIP Restaurant on July 29 to celebrate the inauguration of the Korea-ASEAN Forum, dubbed the "K-A Forum."

Participating in the inaugural dinner meeting of the K-A Forum are Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan; Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, chairman of the forum; Rep. Lee Byung-suk, vice chairman of the forum; and Rep. Jeong Tae-keun, secretary-general of the forum.