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| President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee disembark from the presidential jet upon their arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday. Yonhap |
President arrives in Jakarta to attend ASEAN summits
By Nam Hyun-woo
JAKARTA ― President Yoon Suk Yeol will make efforts to get South Korea, Japan and China cooperating with one another once again during his summit meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in order to pursue a policy of synergy between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.
Yoon arrived, Tuesday, in Jakarta, Indonesia, the first stop on his seven-day trip before making his way to India. He is set to attend multiple summits involving the ASEAN member nations, as well as Japan and China.
In an interview with Indonesian news outlet Kompas published earlier in the day, Yoon said South Korea will do its best to reinvigorate trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing as the coordinating country of ASEAN Plus Three.
"Cooperation between South Korea, Japan and China should get back on track," Yoon said. "When the three Northeast Asian countries' cooperation gets reinvigorated, the cooperative scheme of ASEAN Plus Three will gain greater momentum, and this will strengthen the ASEAN centrality."
ASEAN centrality refers to a concept stated in the ASEAN Charter emphasizing that ASEAN must be the dominant regional platform to overcome common challenges and engage with external powers.
During his stay in Jakarta, Yoon is scheduled to attend the ASEAN Plus Three summit. It will also be attended by the leaders of ASEAN along with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The trilateral cooperation scheme between South Korea, Japan and China has diminished in recent months, as Seoul and Tokyo have been improving relations and consolidating their links with the United States, which were enhanced through the Aug. 18 Seoul-Washington-Tokyo summit at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David.
Against this backdrop, one of the tasks for Yoon during this diplomatic outing is anticipated to be convincing China and ASEAN members that trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo is not targeting China or any other country in particular, but is aimed at enabling peace and stability for the Indo-Pacific region.
"It is important that cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan is not aimed at excluding a certain country or countering certain forces, and this is also clearly stated in Seoul's own Indo-Pacific Strategy," Yoon said in the interview.
During the diplomatic events in Jakarta, Yoon plans to explore ideas to align ASEAN members' interests with the South Korean government's Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative, Seoul's regional strategy for bolstering ties with ASEAN members in economic as well as strategic fields, such as security and defense.
"The peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific is an issue which is connected directly with the peace and stability of the international community," Yoon said.
"North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile provocations are becoming tangible threats for ASEAN members as well. In times like these, it is essential for South Korea and ASEAN to unite, respond resolutely and closely coordinate efforts towards North Korea's denuclearization."
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee listen to Korindo Chairman Seung Eun-ho, standing, proposing a toast during Yoon's dinner meeting with South Koreans in Indonesia at a hotel in Jakarta, Tuesday (local time). Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon |
After arriving in Jakarta, Yoon had a dinner meeting with South Koreans in Indonesia. Yoon noted that the local community in Indonesia expanded along with South Korea's economic growth, and promised the government's support to the local community through the Overseas Koreans Agency, which was established in June.
The dinner meeting was participated by South Korean ambassador to Indonesia Lee Sang-deok, Korindo Chairman Seung Eun-ho and other leaders of local South Korean groups. During the dinner, Seung proposed a toast to the long-lasting ties between South Korea and Indonesia.
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