Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz,

Minister of International Trade and Industry,

Datuk Lim Juay Jin,

Ambassador of Malaysia to Korea,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Selamat petang(Good afternoon)!

I am delighted to be with you today

to celebrate the 40th anniversary

of the Korea-Malaysia Look East Policy.

The implementation of the Look East Policy 

has been instrumental in laying a solid foundation

for a strong and close partnership between our two countries.

Today, Korea and Malaysia stand together as trusted partners

building a win-win partnership in a wide range of areas. 

Our bilateral economic cooperation has thrived.

Even during the pandemic,

our trade volume has increased for two consecutive years,

surpassing 26 billion US dollars for the first time last year.

Malaysia is now our third largest trading partner in ASEAN.

The total sum of Korean investment to Malaysia

reached 10 billion US dollars last year.

However, our partnership is more than 

about mere trade volume and investment figures. 

Malaysia’s recent decision 

to procure Korean combat aircraft, FA-50, 

well demonstrates the genuine trust and true confidence 

in the ROK-Malaysia partnership.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are vibrant as ever.

This year Malaysia’s football team made history   

with a Korean coach, Mr. Kim Pan-gon,

and his talented Malaysian players, Harimau Malaya('Malaysian Tiger', nickname of the Malaysian Foodball National Team),

advancing to the semi-finals of the 2022 AFF(ASEAN Football Federation) Cup. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our commitment to build 

a yet more flourishing partnership

with ASEAN and its members remains firm. 

Indeed, our regional policy for ASEAN, 

the ‘Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative’, or KASI,

is the first foreign policy initiative 

announced by the Yoon Suk Yeol government

under its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Through synergy between KASI and the Look East Policy

we can take further strides forward

in our already strong and close partnership.

Once again, my heartfelt congratulations

on the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy

of Korea and Malaysia.

Terima Kasih(Thank you)!

/End/