PROSPECTS FOR KOREAN-SOUTHEAST ASIAN RELATIONS

The Republic of Korea is passing through three "years of Southeast Asia", starting in 2008. A variety of anniversaries, summits and initiatives are scattered across these years. ASEAN and the Republic of Korea celebrated two decades as dialogue partners in 2009. To mark this milestone, an ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit was held on Jeju Island in June. Although not widely appreciated among members of the general public in Korea and Southeast Asia, practical contacts and exchanges between the two surpass what is easily imaginable. In the economic field, cooperation between Southeast Asia and the Republic of Korea has been particularly substantial. Southeast Asian countries are, taken as a group, Korea's third most important trading partner, following only China and the European Union. In the longer term, it is clear that the breadth of exchange and cooperation between Southeast Asia and Korea has grown considerably in recent decades.