South Korea supports ASEAN integration

By

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea is fully supporting the establishment of the 10-member ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), or regional economic integration, which aims to have a single market and production base this year.

Korean Ambassador Kim Young-sun, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul, told Manila Bulletin and nine other ASEAN journalists in Seoul that South Korea is “supportive of the efforts of ASEAN to form the ASEAN region into one community.”

“The ASEAN community aims to establish it as a political and security entity that is peaceful. Economic dimension will establish the one single market and production base. We are very much interested in the efforts of ASEAN countries in the process of realization of ASEAN Community,” Kim said at a forum with ASEAN journalists organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS).

Kim said ASEAN and Korea recently adopted an action plan on the relations between the two parties.

“Our focus is, for example, narrowing the development gap among ASEAN countries members, which is a very important factor in the process of economic community. We worked out the official mechanism of integration like more liberalization in free trade agreements and the capacity and institution building,” said Kim, a retired diplomat, who served in the United States, Lebanon, Indonesia, Egypt, Israel and Japan, and became the spokesperson and deputy minister for public relations of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul was established in 2009 and focuses on activities and programs that contribute to a more balanced and beneficial partnership between ASEAN and Korea.

ASEAN is Korea’s second-largest trading partner last year, accounting for $138 billion or 14 percent overall, and placing second to China, which had 21 percent, said research fellow Yohan Lee of the Seoul National University Asia Center.

Lee said the AEC “is not the goal but only the process to bring greater integration in the ASEAN community.”

South Korea’s investment in the Philippines totaled $195.3 million in 2013 to place sixth overall among countries, he said.

Kim said “ASEAN as a regional cooperation entity has been very successful in many aspects. You successfully achieved solidarity among ASEAN member countries. You have this advantage of the ASEAN organization to effectively deal with non-ASEAN countries.”

He said what is important “are close cooperation, coordination and collaboration among themselves.”

Kim personally believes that economic integration has both positive and negative aspects.

“Positive means it will provide tremendous opportunities for closer cooperation. On the other side, the ASEAN community as the venue for economic cooperation brings more competitive relations with each other. Apparently, each member state welcomes the emergence of economic community socialcultural community. But I guess, on the other hand, each member country has some concerns on how to deal with the emergence of a new community. Without close coordination and concerted efforts, the benefits or merits of one community will not be [possible],” he said, referring to politics, economics, trade, customs, labor and market regulations.

Lee said with integration, ASEAN countries are going into the right direction although “it may take longer.”

“Normally people compare the ASEAN community with the European Union. But when you look at the reality of EU, to bring this highest level of integration, it took almost 50 years. Some people are also arguing that it is not possible for ASEAN countries to achieve the highest level of integration that EU has because of large cultural differences and because of wider gap of economic conditions of member countries,” he said.

Lee said for the AEC to succeed, the member countries’ “commitment and strong will are more important.”

In the case of EU, he said, “to bring greater integration, they somewhat yielded some of the sovereignty and interests of their countries.