The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted the 5th ROK-Mekong Youth Group Workshop under the theme “ROK-Mekong Youth: United through Culture” from August 3 to 7, 2026, bringing together a total of 36 undergraduate and graduate students from Korea and the five Mekong countries*.

* Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted the ROK-Mekong Youth Group Workshop in Korea annually since 2022 to promote exchanges and cooperation among younger generations of Korea and the Mekong region. This year, more than 1,400 students applied for the program. The selected participants had the opportunity to broaden their understanding of Mekong-ROK cooperation through expert lectures on a range of topics, visits to related institutions, and the development and presentation of group projects.

This year's workshop, held in Busan and Seoul, focused on culture and tourism, one of the seven priority areas for cooperation of the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund (MKCF). Participants visited institutions such as the Korea Foundation (KF) ASEAN Culture House, the Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies at Busan University of Foreign Studies, Beomeosa Temple, the National Museum of Korea, and HiKR Ground, where they attended expert lectures and learned about a range of examples of Mekong-ROK cooperation in culture and tourism. They also worked in teams to design and present cooperation projects in the fields of culture and tourism, exploring ways to further deepen Mekong-ROK cooperation.

At the closing ceremony on August 7, Kwon Jae-hwan, Director-General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs, noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of Mekong-ROK cooperation and appreciated that the workshop had provided a valuable opportunity to expand cooperation between Korea and the Mekong region at multiple levels. He expressed hope that the projects proposed by participants during the workshop would open up new possibilities for Mekong-ROK cooperation, and urged them to continue taking a keen interest in Mekong-ROK cooperation going forward.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to provide opportunities for exchanges among younger generations of Korea and the Mekong region, further strengthening the foundation for Mekong-ROK cooperation.