By Lee Hana

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Sept. 14 visited the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Culture House in Busan's Haeundae District to check the progress in preparations for the Korea-ASEAN special summit and the inaugural Korea-Mekong summit slated for November.

During their visit, the couple saw the exhibit "Splash ASEAN! Water, a celebration of life," and dropped by a virtual reality hall featuring ASEAN's cultural heritage and an exhibit showcasing the traditions of the association's 10 member countries.

Cheong Wa Dae said the couple made this visit ahead of the two summits in November and to let the country know that they will work together with working-level teams in preparing for both events.

The summit with ASEAN slated for Nov. 25-26 in Busan will commemorate 30 years of dialogue relations between the two sides. And on Nov. 27, Korea's largest port city will also host the first Korea-Mekong summit attended by the heads of state from countries along the Mekong River.

The Korea-ASEAN summit will be attended by the leaders of all 10 ASEAN member countries and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, as well as some 10,000 attendees including government officials and representatives from private companies.

This will be the third ASEAN special summit to be hosted by Korea, following the first in 2009 on Jejudo Island and the second in 2014 in Busan.

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