The Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) hosted the 7th ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Strategic Dialogue in the KNDA Hall of the Korea Diplomacy Center in Seoul from October 16 to 17, 2025, under the theme “ROK’s New Government and ASEAN: Navigating the Age of Uncertainty Together.”

※ The ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Strategic Dialogue was launched on the occasion of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit as a track 2.0 channel of communication and exchanges among foreign policy experts of the ROK and ASEAN.

KNDA Chancellor CHOE Hyoung-chan, in his lead presentation and welcoming remarks on October 16 and 17, respectively, said that the nature of national security is being reshaped amid the intensifying strategic competition among major powers, unprecedented global supply chain disruptions, and the rapid advancement of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). On that note, Chancellor Choe emphasized that the ROK needs to deepen its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with ASEAN in a more mutually beneficial manner by building upon and advancing its New Southern Policy in line with the “pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests” of the Lee Jae Myung administration.

On October 16, Vu Ho, Ambassador of Viet Nam to the ROK, delivered a lead presentation at the closed seminar, expressing hope that the ROK would continue contribution to regional peace and prosperity in a way that respects and aligns with ASEAN’s regional norms. He also appreciated the role of the New Southern Policy in the development of the ROK–ASEAN relations since the establishment of dialogue relations in 1989 — ranging from economic cooperation to diplomacy and security, socio-cultural exchanges, and development cooperation — and conveyed expectations for the inheritance and development of the New Southern Policy by the Lee Jae Myung administration.

On October 17, Tanee Sangrat, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the ROK, delivered congratulatory remarks at the open roundtable, expressing appreciation to the KNDA for organizing a timely and thought-provoking dialogue ahead of the ASEAN-ROK Summit scheduled for late October. Ambassador Sangrat called on the new ROK government to maintain sustained interest in cooperation with ASEAN as the country’s key partner in its pragmatic diplomacy, to promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The closed-door seminar held on October 16 began with lead presentations by Chancellor CHOE Hyoung-chan and Ambassador Vu Ho, followed by Session 1, a Special Session, and Session 2.

During Session 1 titled “Trump 2.0, U.S.-China Competition, and Geopolitical Developments in the Indo-Pacific: Assessments from ASEAN and the ROK,” experts from ASEAN and the ROK shared their perspectives on changes in the international order under the second Trump administration and discussed regional responses to such changes. During the Special Session, HA Daegoog, Director of the ASEAN Cooperation Division at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, outlined the new government’s plans to strengthen the ASEAN-ROK CSP, thereby enhancing ASEAN experts’ understanding of the ROK’s policy toward ASEAN.

During Session 2 titled “The ROK’s New Government and Strengthening ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” participants discussed ASEAN’s perspectives on the new ROK government’s pragmatic diplomacy and explored ways to further develop the CSP in a manner differentiated from those of ASEAN’s other major dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan, Australia and India.

At the open roundtable held on October 17, ASEAN participants pointed out that the great-power competition has diminished global attention to and capacity for addressing shared challenges facing humanity, and emphasized the critical role of middle powers such as the ROK and ASEAN in upholding a predictable international order. They also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation not only between the ROK and ASEAN but also among major dialogue partners of ASEAN to effectively address growing non-traditional security threats in the region, including online scams and human trafficking. On that note, the participants highlighted the need to reinforce the existing ASEAN-led multilateral consultative mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM+).

The 7th ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Strategic Dialogue served as a meaningful forum for identifying common ground between the new ROK government’s pragmatic diplomacy and the ASEAN Community Vision ahead of the ROK–ASEAN Summit in late October. In particular, the Dialogue provided a timely opportunity to call for enhancing ROK–ASEAN cooperation in response to evolving uncertainties in the regional and global environments, as well as strengthening cooperative frameworks to address rising transnational crimes in the region, including online scams.

※ List of Participants in 7th ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Strategic Dialogue

[ASEAN Participants]

● Brunei: Dr. Hafiizh Hashim, Assistant Lecturer, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

● Cambodia: Dr. Phon Sokpanya, Deputy Head, Information and Data Unit, ASEAN-Korea Centre

● Indonesia: Mr. Andrew Mantong, Senior Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia

● Lao PDR: Dr. Boualaphiane Sisouk, Deputy Head, International Relations Department, National University of Laos

● Malaysia: Ms. Angeline Tan, Analyst, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Malaysia

● Myanmar: Dr. Khin Maung Lwin, Senior Advisor, Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS), Myanmar

● Philippines: Dr. Maria Thaemar Camañag Tana, Assistant Professor, Ateneo de Manila University

● Singapore: Dr. Benjamin Ho, Assistant Professor, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

● Thailand: Dr. Pongphisoot Busbarat, Director, Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS), Thailand

● Viet Nam: Mrs. Nguyen Huong Tra, Acting Director-General, IFPSS, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV)

[Korean Participants]

(From IFANS)

● Amb. LEE Moon-hee, Senior Executive Director, Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), KNDA

● Dr. KIM Hankwon, Director, Center for Chinese Studies, IFANS, KNDA

● Dr. CHO Won Deuk, Director, Center for ASEAN-Indian Studies, IFANS, KNDA

● Dr. PARK Min Joung, Research Professor, Center for ASEAN-Indian Studies, IFANS, KNDA

(From Outside IFANS)

● Dr. KIM Dong-Yeob, President, Korean Association of Southeast Asian Studies (KASEAS)

● Mr. HA Daegoog, Director, ASEAN Cooperation Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

● Dr. KWON Bo Ram, Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA)

● Dr. KWAK Sungil, Executive Director, Center for Emerging Economy Studies, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)