Yoon Departs for ASEAN and G20... Launches Sales and Responsible Diplomacy

Attended G20 Summits in Indonesia (May 5-8) and India (May 8-11)
Strengthened economic and security cooperation through at least 14 bilateral meetings
Yoon: "Proposed digital and IT cooperation projects... Need to get Korea-Japan-China cooperation on track"

President Yoon Suk-yeol embarked on a 5-night, 7-day trip from the 5th to the 11th to attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and G20 (Group of Twenty) summits in Indonesia and India. During this visit, President Yoon plans to focus all efforts on securing a business hub in the Indo-Pacific region through not only multilateral meetings but also at least 14 side and bilateral meetings and economic events.

On the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon departed for Jakarta, Indonesia, from Seongnam Seoul Airport aboard the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, accompanied by First Lady Kim Keon-hee. This marks the second consecutive year attending the ASEAN and G20 summits. Since Indonesia and India are strategic key points in the Indo-Pacific region?an emerging economic area amid the US-China hegemonic competition?the presidential office envisions this trip as an opportunity to expand South Korea’s influence in economic security fields such as economic cooperation and supply chain security. Regarding regional and international issues such as North Korea’s nuclear threats, the South China Sea disputes, and the Ukraine war, President Yoon is expected to reiterate South Korea’s stance on resolving these through liberal democracy.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee are seen boarding Air Force One at Seongnam Seoul Airport on the 5th, waving to farewell guests as they depart for a tour of Indonesia and India to attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit and the G20 Summit.
Photo by Yonhap News

Declaration of Implementation Plan for Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative... Focus on North Korea Cooperation and Business Diplomacy through Meetings with Leaders

On the 5th (local time), President Yoon held a meeting with overseas Koreans in Jakarta and officially began summit diplomacy the next day, the 6th, starting with the Korea-ASEAN Summit and ASEAN+3 Summit. As South Korea is the coordinating country among the three nations in the ASEAN+3 (Korea, China, Japan) summit and the chair country of the Korea-China-Japan summit, President Yoon plans to declare the full implementation of the ’Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative‘ during the ASEAN summit. He envisions linking responsible diplomacy to the economy by actively providing official development assistance (ODA) for IT and eco-friendly infrastructure construction in the Indo-Pacific region, aiming not only to become a global pivotal country but also to secure future growth engines such as IT and green infrastructure.

On the 7th, at the East Asia Summit (EAS), President Yoon will express South Korea’s position on regional and international issues, including the North Korean nuclear problem, and articulate what South Korea can contribute to establishing an international order based on international norms. On the 8th, he will hold a ’Korea-Indonesia Summit‘ with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. On the 8th, President Yoon will move to New Delhi, India, and attend three sessions of the G20 summit (One Earth, One Family, One Future) on the 9th and 10th. On the evening of the 9th, he will attend a dinner hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on the 10th, he will visit the ’Gandhi Memorial Park‘ with other heads of state attending the G20 summit.

In addition to ODA for the Indo-Pacific region, President Yoon will engage in business diplomacy through bilateral meetings. During the trip, he will hold summit meetings with at least 14 countries, including the Korea-Indonesia and Korea-India summits. The currently confirmed bilateral meetings include Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, the Cook Islands, Canada, Laos, India, Spain, Argentina, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Comoros, totaling 13 countries. The presidential office is coordinating additional bilateral meetings with six more countries.

Among these, Indonesia and India serve as key hubs for expanding South Korea’s business networks, so economic cooperation in defense, aerospace industries, and infrastructure will be deepened. In Indonesia, besides the summit, a Korea-Indonesia Business Roundtable will be held to strengthen private sector cooperation. About 40 top executives and CEOs from major companies, including Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group; and Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of Lotte Group, will attend this Korea-Indonesia Business Roundtable. India, the host country of the G20 summit, is the world’s most populous country with over 1.4 billion people and a young population pyramid with an average age of 27. Also known as the ’world’s factory‘ and ’post-China,‘ the presidential office believes cooperation must be strengthened to diversify export markets.

Therefore, through the Korea-India summit, the presidential office plans to discuss cooperation not only in defense and nuclear power but also in space industry and semiconductors, and to strengthen the ’Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement‘ (CEPA). A senior official from the presidential office said, "Indonesia and India are very important hubs for expanding our practical networks and businesses."

Yoon Emphasizes 'Substantive Cooperation' over Dialogue Relations, Announces Plans for 'Future-Oriented Cooperation and Projects'

Economic cooperation with ASEAN has already been announced. Ahead of his departure for Indonesia, President Yoon expressed in an interview with the local daily ’Kompas‘, "We will continue to expand practical support that ASEAN needs by making ASEAN a key partner."

In particular, President Yoon said, "South Korea will strengthen substantive cooperation that faithfully reflects ASEAN’s demands in economic and socio-cultural fields," and "We will also expand mutually beneficial and future-oriented cooperation in security areas such as maritime security, cyber security, defense, and defense industry." He also previewed, "At the Korea-ASEAN Summit, I plan to propose future cooperation projects based on Korea’s strengths in digital and IT technology." This is expected to serve as an example of linkage and cooperation between the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative and ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific strategy, ’ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,‘ aiming to elevate Korea-ASEAN relations to a ’Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.’

He also showed willingness to cooperate with Japan and China. President Yoon said, "Now, cooperation among Korea, Japan, and China must be put back on track," and "To this end, South Korea will do its best to revitalize cooperation as the chair country of the trilateral consultative body and the coordinating country representing the three countries in ASEAN+3." He added, "If cooperation among the three Northeast Asian countries regains momentum, ASEAN+3 cooperation will gain greater impetus," and "This is expected to further strengthen ’ASEAN centrality.’"

He also called for international cooperation against the North Korean threat, judging that international norms are being ignored due to the Ukraine war and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. President Yoon said, "The increasingly intense missile provocations and nuclear threats from North Korea are direct and existential threats to ASEAN countries as well," and "At times like this, Korea and ASEAN must unite to respond firmly and closely cooperate for North Korea’s denuclearization." He also promised South Korea’s role in expanding the Indo-Pacific strategy. President Yoon said, "To ease conflicts and confrontations between countries and promote dialogue and cooperation, the values advocated by ASEAN?openness, transparency, and inclusiveness?are becoming more important," and "South Korea and ASEAN share the importance of a rules-based international order."

Regarding last month’s Korea-US-Japan summit, he emphasized, "Cooperation among the three countries is not aimed at excluding any particular country or countering any specific force." President Yoon added, "This is clearly stated in South Korea’s independent Indo-Pacific strategy document," and "The three countries will strive to contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in the international community by promoting universal values and a rules-based international order, and to achieve beneficial outcomes for all countries."

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