Yoon's ASEAN diplomacy put to test at summit with Widodo
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and Indonesian first lady Iriana Widodo arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. YonhapKorea advised to expand ties with Southeast Asian countriesBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to take advantage of his Indonesian counterpart's visit to Korea in Seoul's pursuit of diplomacy to strengthen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and promote foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived here Wednesday night for a two-day trip, during which he will sit down for a summit with Yoon and hold a roundtable with the leaders of Korean business groups. The presidential office is currently seeking to patch up the nation's existing diplomacy with ASEAN countries, represented by the New Southern Policy initiated by Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in, rather than completely reversing the policy. Earlier this week, a senior official of the presidential office described Widodo's trip as the “full-fledged” beginning of the Yoon administration's diplo
