[Editorial] S. Korea should continue to enable ASEAN as a mover in N. Korea-US relations

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (center) poses with the ASEAN heads of state who attended the South Korea-ASEAN special summit in Busan on Nov. 26.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (center) poses with the ASEAN heads of state who attended the South Korea-ASEAN special summit in Busan on Nov. 26.

A summit that brought together the leaders of South Korea and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded on Nov. 26 with the adoption of a chairperson’s statement and a joint vision statement. Held at a time of increasing economic cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN, the summit culminated in the agreement to create a “human-centered community of peace and prosperity.” The leaders also reaffirmed that establishing a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is important for the development and prosperity of East Asia.

It’s particularly notable that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the ASEAN leaders stressed that the North Korea-US denuclearization talks and inter-Korean dialogue are necessary for advancing the cause of peace on the Korean Peninsula. While welcoming the positive changes that occurred on the Korean Peninsula last year, including the inter-Korean and North Korea-US summits and the joint statements adopted in Panmunjom, Pyongyang, and Singapore, the leaders at the summit called for “continuing dialogue aimed at resolving disagreements between stakeholders” and “moving quickly to hold the next round of negotiations.”

It’s meaningful that ASEAN leaders called for North Korea-US dialogue at a time when the North Korea-US denuclearization talks are at a deadlock. Our hope is that both North Korea and the US will pay heed to the advice of these leaders, give ground on their stubborn positions, and return to the negotiating table.

Also worth our attention is the fact that Moon presided for the first time over a special session with ASEAN leaders focused entirely on the Korean Peninsula. During the session, Moon laid out his plan for turning the DMZ into an international zone of peace, a plan he unveiled during the UN General Assembly this past September, and asked ASEAN to take a particular interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula. All 10 ASEAN states have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea, and the two North Korea-US summits were both held in ASEAN states. Given this unique situation, the South Korean government must continue working to enable ASEAN to play a positive role in improving North Korea-US relations.

The economic prestige of ASEAN is increasing each year. The bloc has a combined population of 650 million, and its combined economy has an annual growth rate of more than 5%. The volume of South Korea’s trade with ASEAN is second only to its trade with China. In that respect, it’s significant that the leaders of South Korea and ASEAN have agreed to redouble efforts to bolster economic cooperation. South Korea and ASEAN also agreed to increase their volume of trade to US$200 billion by 2020 and to expand person-to-person exchange so as to forge a partnership of peace and prosperity. We hope that the results of the summit will prove a stepping stone toward more vibrant, more mature interregional exchange in politics, the economy, and culture.

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