1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yoon Soon-gu attended a special session on the Republic of Korea of the “Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme” organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in the Republic of Singapore on June 2. In the session, Deputy Minister Yoon delivered a lecture under the theme “ASEAN-ROK Relations: Regional Connections and the New Southern Policy” and engaged in robust discussions on key security issues in the region.

o The IISS has organized the “Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme” during the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian security meeting, every year since 2016 to provide a forum for future leaders in foreign and security affairs in the region to establish networks and discuss security issues.

- As part of efforts to strengthen regional cooperation to implement the New Southern Policy, the ROK government funded the Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme this year.

o Participants in this year’s Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme had separate meetings with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mogherini, Canada’s Minister of National Defence Harjit, and Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Davidson. The participants will also engage in a discussion with Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Balakrishnan.

2. In the special session, Deputy Minister Yoon said that the ROK government devised the New Southern Policy and was pursuing it to realize a vision of creating a “people-centered community of peace and prosperity.” He added that the ROK government is willing to step up regional cooperation in a range of areas, including security issues.

o Especially, Deputy Minister Yoon said that the “2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit” will be held in Busan in November this year and the Mekong-ROK Summit will also take place for the first time back to back with the Commemorative Summit, and went on to say that the ROK will further deepen cooperation with ASEAN, the ROK’s key partner for the New Southern Policy.

3. The special session was a separate one held on the ROK’s foreign policy, where the organizer invited an ROK government official as a speaker. The session contributed effectively to helping future leaders in foreign and security affairs to better understand the ROK’s foreign policy, including the New Southern Policy.

* unofficial translation