ASEAN-Korea Centre focuses on waste solutions in Manila

ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Jae-shin speaks during the 2025 Investment and Market Research Mission, in Manila, Thursday. Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre

The ASEAN-Korea Centre held its 2025 Investment and Market Research Mission in Manila, a two-day seminar on Thursday and Friday that aimed to strengthen cooperation between Korea and the ASEAN Maritime countries through innovation in sustainable waste management.

The event brought together government officials and business leaders from Korea and five ASEAN nations — Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore — to exchange insights on environmental policy, technology and circular economy practices.

In his opening remarks, ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Jae-shin reflected on his time as Korea’s ambassador to the Philippines and highlighted the growing urgency of cross-border cooperation on environmental issues.

“It was a real pleasure to be back in Manila, a place I was fortunate to call home during my term as ambassador from 2015 to 2018,” Kim said. “The Philippines is not only blessed with its diverse natural landscapes and rich culture but has also made impressive strides in development — with that signature Filipino smile.”

Kim noted that the Philippines was the first ASEAN country to establish diplomatic relations with Korea in 1949 and recalled the nation’s role as a “blood alliance,” having sent more than 7,000 troops during the Korean War. He celebrated the 75th anniversary of bilateral ties this year, citing a trade volume of over $14.6 billion and the recent activation of the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement as milestones in the strategic partnership.

Kim also spotlighted Korea’s expanding engagement with ASEAN, noting that since establishing dialogue relations in 1989, trade had grown 23-fold, investment 80-fold, and people-to-people exchanges 37-fold.

“Recognizing the importance of our relationship with ASEAN, the Korean government set up the ASEAN-Korea Centre in 2009 to forge stronger economic, social and cultural ties,” he said. “Together, we continued to advance our collaborative efforts with a collective vision for ‘Our Shared Future.’”

This year’s mission built on the Centre’s successful 2023 seminar in Laos, which addressed waste management in the Mekong region. The Manila edition marked the initiative’s expansion to the ASEAN Maritime countries. The program included a seminar, site visits and networking opportunities with a theme of advancing the circular economy.

“At the heart of these efforts lay the growing recognition that sustainable waste management goes hand in hand with the principles of the circular economy,” Kim said, describing the 4R approach — reduce, reuse, recycle and recover — as a key pathway to resilient growth.

“Bridging this shift from a linear to a circular model required not only conceptual understanding but also coordinated efforts among various stakeholders,” he added. “That’s why the seminar sought to explore both policymaking and practical business solutions.”

To mark International Plastic Bag Free Day on Thursday, attendees received commemorative eco bags with a message: “Waste isn’t the end. It’s only the beginning of new creation at one’s ending.”

The seminar featured presentations by Jess Reyes of the Philippines Association of Resources and Materials Sustainability, Treesuvit Arriyavat from the ASEAN Circular Economy Platform, Yoo Ji-young of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Philippines, Aiyan Montoya of Communities Organized for Resource Allocation (CORA), and Lee Jong-myoung of OSEAN, who introduced artificial intelligence-assisted marine litter tracking and a KOICA-backed Manila Bay project.

Two sessions explored public policy and business innovations. The first, chaired by Partners in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, focused on national circular economy strategies, while the second, led by the Asian Development Bank, highlighted cutting-edge waste management technologies.

Delegates also toured the CORA Eco-Ikot Center in Manila — a model for community recycling — and the Circular Explorer catamaran in Manila Bay, a solar-powered vessel designed to remove marine plastic waste.

“This mission was expected to further advance ongoing ESG (environmental, social, governance) and sustainability initiatives,” Kim said. “Let us continue working together to build a more resilient and future-ready ASEAN-Korea partnership.”