By Jun Ji-hye
A veteran diplomat with extensive experience in Southeast Asian affairs will head to Jakarta, Indonesia in early October with the mission of building rock solid ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In an interview with The Korea Times, Friday, Baek Seong-taek, the first Korean ambassador to ASEAN, remarked that the significance of the regional bloc cannot be overstated.
“The location of the regional bloc is strategically important,” Baek said. “If political instability and economic slowdown hits the region, there will inevitably be consequences for the South Korean economy.” The envoy said nearly 60 or 70 percent of Korea’s trade relies on the Strait of Malacca as ships carrying trade goods pass through there.
The Strait of Malacca is a waterway running between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and the Malaysian peninsula.
“Korean pop stars and dramas are very popular there, too,” Baek said.
ASEAN is composed of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Brunei.
The 10-country bloc is Korea’s second-largest trade partner following China. It is also the second-largest market for Korean constructors after the Middle East.
Seoul established the ASEAN mission following the United States, Japan and China. This indicates the significance of the regional bloc, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“As the first ambassador assigned to ASEAN, I want to help Korea redouble friendly relations with the 10-member regional bloc,” the 57-year-old diplomat said.
“Also, ASEAN plays an important role in disputes as a third party when the U.S and China or Japan and China face confrontations in East Asia,” he added.
Baek has extensive experiences in multilateral diplomacy as he served as a chief of Southeast Asia section from 1998 to 1999 and as a councilor in Japan and Vietnam from 1999 to 2002 and 2002 to 2005, respectively.
Especially, as he said, his career in Southeast Asia and Japan became the key factor that, he believed, made him fit for the newly created position for ASEAN.
“Japan has rich research experience within ASEAN. I think we need to take a close look at how they carry out diplomacy toward the region and then we need to forge our own strategy,” he said.
Baek pointed out the shortages of staff at the ASEAN mission as a constraint for effective diplomacy for the regional bloc.
“Compared with a staff of 30 in the China mission and 18 in the Japanese mission, we have only three, including myself,” he said. “Supplementing the personnel is definitely needed to match the neighboring countries and achieve our diplomatic goals.”