1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted the 19th East Asia Forum (EAF) on December 7, 2021, in a virtual format. The forum was held under the theme of “Working Towards an Inclusive and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19 in East Asia,” with the participation of government officials, academic scholars and entrepreneurs from ASEAN member states (AMSs), the ROK, China and Japan.

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* The sub-theme for each Session: Session 1 on “Future of Health Security Cooperation in East Asia after COVID-19”; Session 2 on “Paradigm Shift in the Post-Pandemic Era - Accelerating the Inclusive Digital Transformation”; and Session 3 on “Paradigm Shift in the Post-Pandemic Era - Climate Change Response and Green Growth”

° The EAF is a track 1.5 forum among the ASEAN Plus Three (ASEAN+3) member states designed to exchange views on regional cooperation in East Asia. The forum is held annually, with the AMSs and the +3 countries taking turns in hosting the meeting. The ROK played a leading role in launching the forum.

2. Around 60 participants virtually attended the forum: Among them were Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of MOFA of the ROK Yeo Seung-bae, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community of ASEAN Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR Thongphane Savanphet, Director General for ASEAN Cooperation of MOFA of the Republic of Indonesia Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, Minister of the Department of Asian Affairs of MOFA of the People’s Republic of China Haiyan Sun, and Deputy Director-General & Deputy Assistant Minister of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of MOFA of Japan Hideo Ishizuki.

° From the ROK side, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare attended the forum. Delegates from international organizations and major research institutes of the region, such as the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the World Health Organization (Western Pacific Regional Office), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), also attended the meeting.

3. In his opening speech, Deputy Minister Yeo highlighted the importance of regional cooperation as we prepare for a paradigm shift after COVID-19 and explained that the ROK government had been expanding its cooperation with ASEAN in various fields through the New Southern Policy. He also reaffirmed the ROK’s strong commitment to continuing cooperation on the health emergency response system within the ASEAN+3, and expressed that the ROK would step up cooperation with regional partners on digital transformation and green growth by utilizing its strengths and experiences in innovation.

4. Participants shared the view on the importance of strengthening resilience against future emergencies and pursuing inclusive recovery so that no one is left behind in the process of recovering from COVID-19. They also exchanged views on ways for regional cooperation in the fields of health security, digital transformation and green growth. (moderator: Mr. Chung Hae-moon, former Ambassador of the ROK to the Kingdom of Thailand and former Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Center)

° In Session 1 (Future of Health Security Cooperation in East Asia), participants discussed ways to promote ASEAN-led health cooperation through mechanisms such as the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund and the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, as well as ways to expand regional cooperation for vaccine research, development and production.

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° In Session 2 (Paradigm Shift in the Post-Pandemic Era - Accelerating the Inclusive Digital Transformation), there were extensive discussions on ways to increase regional cooperation regarding digital capacity building and narrowing the digital gap, building digital infrastructure, and adopting and applying digital technology in various areas such as trade, medical services, education and smart cities.

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° In Session 3 (Paradigm Shift in the Post-Pandemic Era - Climate Change Response and Green Growth), participants held extensive discussions on the essentials of sustainable development, which include energy transition, clean energy development, circular economy and green policy coordination among member nations. 

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5. The 19th East Asia Forum is evaluated to have served as an opportunity to deepen and broaden mutual cooperation among the ASEAN+3 countries in addressing challenges in achieving a safe, sustainable and inclusive economic growth by building on the discussions at the ASEAN+3 Summit held in October 2021. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to explore various ways to increase cooperation with ASEAN and regional partners through the New Southern Policy.