President Lee Jaemyung: "Pursuing Advancement of Korea-ASEAN FTA"

President Lee Contributes Article to Malaysian Daily on the 27th
"Malaysia, a Great Nation Embracing Diversity"

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a greeting speech at a dinner meeting with overseas Koreans held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 26th. Photo by Yonhap News

On October 27, President Lee Jaemyung stated, "At this summit, we aim to pursue negotiations to further upgrade the Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, along with the bold goal of achieving an annual trade volume of 300 billion US dollars between Korea and ASEAN."

President Lee made these remarks in a contribution to Malaysia's leading daily, The Star, on the same day, expressing his intention to further develop the Korea-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). President Lee is currently attending the Korea-ASEAN Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26 for a two-day schedule.

President Lee explained, "Let us strengthen cooperation in future core industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, healthcare, and energy between Korea and ASEAN, as well as nurture talent and enhance technological collaboration," adding, "We aim to lay the foundation for innovative and dynamic growth."

He further added, "The Korea-ASEAN Digital Academy, which is scheduled to operate in Malaysia as well, will serve as a meaningful step in leading these efforts."

Lee: "BLACKPINK's Lisa is also Thai, ASEAN artists are active in K-pop"

President Lee also mentioned, "Many people from ASEAN have grown based on their connections with Korea and have contributed to the development of Korea-ASEAN relations," highlighting Malaysian female entrepreneur 'Chef Ustazah.' She participated in a women's SME program through the Korea-ASEAN Cooperation Fund and has since significantly increased her sales through TikTok-based digital marketing.

President Lee went on to mention Lisa, a member of BLACKPINK and a native of Thailand, stating, "Young artists from ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, are playing major roles in K-pop groups." He added, "Their achievements symbolize how Korea and ASEAN can be even more closely connected through shared creativity and exchange."

Meanwhile, President Lee also pledged to "respond more proactively" to the region's needs for peace and security. He promised, "We will deepen cooperation with regional institutions such as ASEANAPOL and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), and further strengthen maritime security exchanges."

Regarding Malaysia, the current chair of ASEAN, President Lee described it as "a great nation that has embraced diversity, continuously taken on new challenges, and achieved development." He added, "Through my first summit with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, I look forward to creating momentum to strengthen practical cooperation as strategic partners in areas such as trade and investment, infrastructure, and defense industry."

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