The 'ASEAN+3' Summit One Day Before the General Election, Another Election Variable

President Moon's COVID-19 Global Leadership Draws Renewed Attention... ASEAN+3 Leaders' Declaration Also Expected to Be Adopted

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The 'ASEAN+3' special video summit proposed by President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to be held on the afternoon of the 14th, one day before the 21st general election. A 'leaders' declaration' for responding to the 'novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)' is also expected to be adopted, making it a variable in the final election flow.

ASEAN+3 is a forum involving the leaders of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the three countries of Korea, China, and Japan, with Vietnam as the chair country. ASEAN+3 is an important consultative body for Korea in economic and diplomatic aspects, including the New Southern Policy that President Moon is focusing on. The biggest concern of this summit is the COVID-19 issue.

Yoon Jae-kwan, deputy spokesperson of the Blue House, said, "President Moon will emphasize the importance of regional cooperation for responding to COVID-19 in his opening remarks and propose measures to strengthen health cooperation," adding, "He will emphasize maintaining global supply chains and guaranteeing essential human exchanges and movements to minimize the negative impact on the economy." It is expected to contain a message that the movement of businesspeople should not be restricted due to COVID-19.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

What is noteworthy is that the ASEAN+3 summit will be held one day before Korea's general election. If the leaders' declaration reflecting the content proposed by the Korean government is announced on the afternoon before the election, President Moon's global leadership is expected to be further highlighted. Regardless of the Blue House's intention, this could be a favorable factor for the ruling party and an unfavorable factor for the opposition party.

This general election is expected to be recorded as an election dominated by the COVID-19 issue. President Moon's response ability is receiving favorable reviews mainly from foreign media, influencing voter sentiment. The Blue House has drawn a clear line that the ASEAN+3 summit schedule is unrelated to domestic political situations.

A Blue House official said, "Since the date and time were decided in consultation with member countries centered on the Vietnamese chair country, there is absolutely no possibility of political interpretation or connection."

Meanwhile, the ASEAN+3 summit will proceed with opening remarks in the order of Vietnam as the chair country, followed by Korea, Japan, and China. After reports on the agenda and opening remarks from ASEAN countries, there will be agenda speeches in the order of Korea, Japan, and China. A Blue House official said, "Closing remarks are expected in the order of Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam," adding, "After that, the leaders' declaration is expected to be adopted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.