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| President Moon Jae-in/ Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
Cheong Wa Dae is pushing for a virtual summit of ASEAN+3 (ASEAN members plus Korea, China and Japan) to advance multilateral cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a presidential aide, Thursday.
"Close consultations are underway to realize the summit," vice presidential spokesman Yoon Jae-kwan said during a briefing. "These countries have a lot of exchanges with Korea, so forming a consensus with them is very important."
Korea hosted the ASEAN summit in Busan in November 2019, the highlight of President Moon Jae-in's New Southern Policy of increasing ties with Southeast Asia.
Moon has been actively participating in international diplomacy through video conferences and phone calls in coordinating responses to COVID-19. In particular, he has underlined the need to allow the flow of business exchanges despite the entry bans imposed by countries worldwide. Tokyo recently expanded its entry ban on all travelers arriving from Korea.
The South Korean leader is expected to renew his call for allowing essential travel which he made during a first-ever virtual meeting of the G20 leaders, March 26. "In order to minimize COVID-19's negative repercussions on the global economy, it is vital that countries maintain the flow of essential economic exchanges," Moon said. "To that end, to the extent that we do not undermine any one country's efforts at disease control, I propose that we seek ways to allow for the travel of essential persons such as scientists, medical professionals and business leaders.
Moon has also been engaging actively in bilateral diplomacy with leaders from various parts of the world to discuss cooperation on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
"The frequent calls from leaders reflect the need for global solidarity on responding to the coronavirus. Also, many countries have been asking for Korea to share its know-how on quarantining, diagnosis and medical equipment," the presidential office said. According to Cheong Wa Dae, 90 countries have requested diagnostic kits, either as exports or aid, through diplomatic channels.
Moon talked on the phone with Colombian President Ivan Duque Marque, Thursday, the 14th leader to call him regarding cooperation related to fighting COVID-19.
The President has also spoken on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jingping.
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