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| President Yoon Suk-yeol is welcomed by Cambodian President Hun Sen at the sideline of the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Nov. 11 Reuters-Yonhap |
PHNOM PENH ― President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled South Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy on Friday, with a focus on promoting freedom, peace and prosperity in a region that has gained increasing strategic importance amid the U.S.-China rivalry.
Yoon announced the strategy shortly after arriving in Cambodia to attend a series of summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the first leg of a two-nation tour that will later take him to Bali, Indonesia for a Group of 20 summit.
"Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is directly connected to our survival and prosperity," he said during a South Korea-ASEAN summit, describing the Indo-Pacific as a region where 65 percent of the world's population lives, accounts for more than 60 percent of the world's gross domestic product and through which half of the world's cargo travels. "I plan to create a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region through solidarity and cooperation with ASEAN and other major nations."
Yoon outlined key elements of the strategy, starting with a strengthening of the rules-based international order built on universal values.
"We will promote a harmonious regional order upon which countries in the region respect each other's rights and interests, and seek common benefits," he said, promising to work to prevent conflict and armed clashes through rules and to uphold the principle of peaceful resolution through dialogue.
"A unilateral change of the status quo by force should never be tolerated," he said.
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| President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the ASEAN - South Korea Summits (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Nov. 11. AP-Yonhap |
Yoon also vowed to strengthen cooperation with countries in the region in the areas of nuclear nonproliferation; anti-terrorism; and maritime, cyber and health security.
"Also, I will build a prosperous Indo-Pacific region through an open and fair economic order," he said, adding that he plans to strengthen economic security by increasing supply chain resilience and achieve joint prosperity by creating a cooperative and inclusive economic and technological ecosystem.
"South Korea will carry out active contribution diplomacy in areas such as climate change, the digital gap and health," Yoon continued.
"Based on the three key visions of freedom, peace and prosperity, and under the three key cooperation principles of inclusivity, trust and reciprocity, we will implement the Indo-Pacific strategy," he said. (Yonhap)
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| Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pose for a family photo during the ASEAN summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Nov. 11. Reuters-Yonhap |
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