ASEAN forum to focus on sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation

By Yi Whan-woo

The ASEAN-Korea Centre will host an online forum, Jan. 19, focusing on the topics of sustainable infrastructure and digital innovation as part of efforts to help the 10 ASEAN member countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Seoul-based center is tasked with cooperating with ASEAN.

Titled “ASEAN-Korea Partnership for enhancing ASEAN connectivity in the post-COVID-19 era,” the eighth ASEAN Connectivity Forum will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 1:30 p.m.

The two topics are among five strategic areas, including seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility, as defined in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025.

Introduced in 2016, MPAC is a blueprint seeking to improve connectivity and integration in the region.

“For the past seven years, the annual ASEAN Connectivity Forum has become one of the flagship events for supporting the Korean business community to take part in the ASEAN region's connectivity-related projects,” ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Lee Hyuk said.

He noted the forum contributed to building a more connected and integrated ASEAN and a mutually beneficial partnership between ASEAN and Korea.

“As COVID-19 has disrupted many face-to-face interactions among business communities in the two regions, I hope this forum will serve as a valuable platform for them to gain the latest information and explore opportunities for collaboration,” Lee added.

The forum is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Construction Association of Korea and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The meeting will begin with an opening ceremony followed by two sessions starting with a panel discussion and presentations from speakers.

During the opening ceremony, Secretary General Lee, Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon, and Thai Ambassador to Korea Rommanee Kananurak, who chairs the ASEAN Committee in Seoul (ACS), will deliver speeches.

The panel discussion will focus on the challenges and future direction of ASEAN connectivity in the post-COVID-19 era.

Panelists will represent the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND) and the Embassy of Japan in Korea.

Kim He-jin, head of the ASEAN-Korea Centre's Information and Data Unit, will moderate the discussion and the Q&A session.

The presentations will deal with the latest updates on projects in the sectors of transport, energy and smart cities.

Officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines, the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board, the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Laos, Tenaga National Berhad of Malaysia, the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications of Brunei, the Nay Pyi Taw Development Committee of Myanmar, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency of Thailand, and the Quang Ninh Province of Vietnam will give briefings.

They will share potential areas for cooperation with the Korean business community in the post-pandemic era.