Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Ko Min-jung on Aug. 25 tells a news briefing that President Moon Jae-in from Sept. 1-6 will visit Thailand, Myanmar and Laos in that order. (Yonhap News)



By Lee Jihae 

President Moon Jae-in from Sept. 1-6 will go on a Southeast Asian tour starting with Thailand and followed by state visits to Myanmar and Laos. 

From Sept. 1-3, he will be in Bangkok for a summit with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. President Moon will request Thai assistance in ensuring Korea's successful hosting in November of a special summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the inaugural Korea-Mekong summit in Busan. 

The Mekong event will feature the participation of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, the five ASEAN member nations through which the Mekong River runs. 

From Sept. 3-5, President Moon will be in Myanmar for talks with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint on joint sustainable growth and laying the foundation for Korean corporate inroads and expansion in Myanmar. 

The final stop on President Moon's Southeast Asian tour is Laos from Sept. 5-6. There, he will hold summits with President Bounnhang Vorachith and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on boosting bilateral cooperation in areas such as hydroelectric power generation and Korea's planned assistance in raising living standards for Laotians. 

Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Ko Min-jung said, "Thailand, Myanmar and Laos form the axis of the New Southern Policy and are pivotal partners for a successful Korea-Mekong Summit." 

"We expect the upcoming visits to the aforementioned countries to lay the cornerstone for a successful Korea-ASEAN special summit and Korea-Mekong Summit in Busan this November." 

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