1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se delivered remarks at the luncheon of the Korea-ASEAN Roundtable held in Seoul on September 12. In the remarks, he elaborated on the future direction of regional cooperation in East Asia as well as the vision and the policy of the government of Republic of Korea on Korea-ASEAN cooperation.

° The Foreign Minister took note of the advances in Korea-ASEAN relations, as demonstrated by the recent state visit of President Park Geun-hye to Vietnam. He proposed ways for the ROK and ASEAN, one of the ROK’s key partners for trustpolitik, to work together to establish an East Asian Community.

2. Minister Yun highlighted the significance that the ROK government attaches to ASEAN. He voiced his hope that Korea-ASEAN ties will develop into a true strategic partnership that encompasses political and economic cooperation through the ASEAN-related summits this year and the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in 2014.

3. Furthermore, Minister Yun commented that progress in Korea-ASEAN relations along with the launch of the ASEAN Community in 2015 will serve as an impetus for strengthening regional cooperation in East Asia. He added that the ROK government, for its part, will seek to elevate the level of cooperation in Northeast Asia through its Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative, ultimately playing an active role as the bridge between Northeast Asia and ASEAN for over-arching cooperation in East Asia.

4. Minister Yun noted that the ROK, a country at a unique strategic location, and ASEAN, a model of East Asia’s regional cooperation, are ideal partners. He proposed that the ROK and ASEAN exercise common and united leadership to open a new era of East Asia.

                     Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation