President Moon Jae-in (sixth from left) on Nov. 26 poses for group photos while holding hands with leaders from the ten ASEAN member states at the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit at BEXCO in Busan. From left are Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, President Moon, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Bruneian Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.


By Yoon Sojung
Photos = 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit


President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 26 held a joint news conference with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the end of the 2019 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-ROK (Republic of Korea) Commemorative Summit at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO).

In a joint news release, he said, "The 'Asian wisdom' we shared during this cold winter will warm both Asia and all of humankind."

Thailand is the chair country of ASEAN this year.

In a summit meeting with ASEAN leaders earlier in the day, President Moon said, "The development of ASEAN is the development of Korea," adding, "Over the last 30 years of bilateral cooperation, friendship and trust, we have displayed 'Asia's potential' to the world by overcoming the foreign exchange and financial crises."

"With the 'Asian spirit of sharing and embracing,' we now have the confidence to present a new answer for the future of the global village."
  Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (left) and President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 26 hold a joint news conference at the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit at BEXCO in Busan.


President Moon said ASEAN and Korea will cooperate to realize a "people-centered community" through extended human and cultural exchanges and closely collaborate to build an innovative community of prosperity based on free trade and a peaceful East Asia. He announced this blueprint at the end of the summit, saying both Korea and ASEAN agreed with the plan.

"Today, Korea and ASEAN adopted the ASEAN-ROK Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity and Partnership and the Co-chairs' Statement of the Partnership for Peace, Prosperity for People,'" the president said.


"I expect these to serve as a wonderful watershed for the future of people, prosperity and peace that Korea and ASEAN will have."


Thai leader Chan-o-cha called the third ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit "a great success," saying, "It will help bolster the partnership between ASEAN and Korea and promote peace, safety, prosperity and sustainability in the region."

"Both regions should develop closer bilateral relations backed by their precious friendship."

Chan-o-cha added, "All levels of relations between the people of both ASEAN and Korea need further strengthening because people are the heart of dialogue between both sides."
  President Moon Jae-in (second from left) on Nov. 26 speaks on the morning of Day 2 of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit at BEXCO in Busan.