1. On the sidelines of the 2018 ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings (July 31-August 4, Singapore), Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brunei on August 1, and exchanged views on ways to enhance cooperation between the ROK and ASEAN; issues on the Korean Peninsula; and ways to advance bilateral relations.

2. Minister Kang explained key details about the “New Southern Policy,” which the ROK government, since its inauguration, has been pursuing to greatly enhance its relations with ASEAN; progress made so far in implementing the policy; and future plans, including a plan to hold the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, and asked for cooperation from each ASEAN country.

o The Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN countries spoke highly of the ROK government’s efforts to advance the ROK-ASEAN relations, and expressed their support and expectations about the New Southern Policy.

3. Minister Kang explained the ROK government’s leading efforts and progress in improving the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including inter-Korean/US-North Korea summits, and hoped that the message from ASEAN and the international community supporting the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the establishment of a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula would be sent during the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, including the ARF.

o In addition, Minister Kang expressed appreciation for the ASEAN countries’ continued support for the ROK’s North Korea policy, and hoped that the ASEAN side would continue to make constructive contributions to making progress in complete denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula in consultation with countries concerned.

o The Ministers of the ASEAN countries said that as peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are essential for security not only in Northeast Asia, but also in the entire East Asian region, they would continue to support the ROK government’s efforts to make progress in denuclearization, and to improve inter-Korean relations.

4. In the ROK-Malaysia Foreign Ministers’ meeting, which marked the first of its kind since the inauguration of the new government in Malaysia in May this year, Minister Kang welcomed Prime Minister Mahathir’s willingness to reinvigorate the “Look East Policy” aimed at boosting ties with the ROK, and offered to further enhance bilateral relations, mainly in the areas of trade, investment, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, ICT, and startups.

※ During his term as the fourth prime minister of Malaysia in the 1980s, Prime Minister Mahathir actively worked to strengthen relations with the ROK and Japan in order to develop his country based on the two countries’ models of development.

5. In the ROK-Myanmar Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Minister U Kyaw Tin said that the pilot project on the Saemaul Undong (new community movement) was producing tangible results, and asked for support for young Myanmarese entrepreneurs starting a business. Minister Kang offered to continue to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to promote co-prosperity, including development cooperation.

o Minister Kang especially said that the visa waivers granted to Korean tourists by the Myanmarese government (starting October 2018) would contribute significantly to increasing people-to-people exchanges, which is one of the goals of the New Southern Policy.

6. In the ROK-Vietnam Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the Ministers of the two countries reviewed the progress in implementing the agreement reached during President Moon Jae-in’s successful state visit to Vietnam in March this year. They agreed to continue to closely work together to faithfully implement the agreement, including holding a bilateral summit every year, and boosting the trade volume to $100 billion by 2020.

7. In the ROK-Cambodia Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Minister Kang expressed appreciation to Cambodia for having continued to play an active, constructive role as Country Coordinator for ROK-ASEAN Dialogue Relations over the past three years, and took note that cooperative relations between the two countries had been continuing to develop, mainly in the areas of economic affairs and development cooperation, including the establishment of the agricultural products inspection and distribution center, and the pediatric medical center at the National Pediatric Hospital of Cambodia.

※ The Country Coordinator for ROK-ASEAN Dialogue Relations plays important roles, including representing the ROK’s positions at ASEAN’s internal meetings, and sharing related developments and holding consultations with the ROK.

※ Cambodia has served as Country Coordinator for ROK-ASEAN Dialogue Relations for the past three years. Brunei will begin to serve as the Country Coordinator right after this year’s ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings.

8. In the ROK-Brunei Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the two sides took not of the ROK company’s completion of construction of the RIPAS Bridge in Brunei (October 2017), and agreed to continue to strengthen infrastructure cooperation between the two countries, as well as cooperation to respond to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Minister Kang asked Brunei, the new Country Coordinator for ROK-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, to play active roles to make a success of the New Southern Policy.

9. Minister Kang’s bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the ASEAN countries served as an opportunity to strengthen ties with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers this year, which marks the first year of the implementation of the New Southern Policy, and to garner support from the ASEAN side for the ROK government’s New Southern Policy, and efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula ahead of key ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, including the ARF and the EAS.

* unofficial translation