On social-cultural pillar, as our borders re-open, ASEAN and the ROK have worked together toward the early resumption and promotion of all cooperation activities, programmes and projects that are people-oriented and foster stronger bonds between ASEAN and the ROK.


The 1st ASEAN-ROK Youth Dialogue was convened on 18-20 July 2022 via videoconference and on 24-27 July 2022 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.


ASEAN appreciates the ROK’s support in combatting the pandemic, including its contributions of additional 5 million USD to the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund and we noted with satisfaction the outcomes of the inaugural ASEAN-ROK Health Ministers Meeting held in May 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.


With a large number of ASEAN citizens living, working and studying in the ROK and vice versa, we continue to work closely together to ensure that our peoples enjoy stable and favorable working and living conditions.


In fact, among 440,000 registered ASEAN residents in Korea in 2016, there were 198,899 migrant workers and 62,492 marriage immigrants, who account for 45% and 14% of total ASEAN population in Korea, respectively.


Viet Nam, who is the current country-coordinator for ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations, is working together with the ROK in developing a joint proposal on holding an ASEAN-ROK symposium on resuming labor supply and promoting decent labor work force.


Tourism is another barometer for people-to-people exchanges. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic took off, people-to-people exchange between ASEAN and Korea has reached its all-time high. 10 million of Korean tourists visited ASEAN countries and 2.7 million of ASEAN nationals visited Korea in 2019.


Thanks to the deepening of friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and the ROK, local people’s awareness has been enhanced remarkably.



Korean pop culture is quite popular in Southeast Asia. From winning the Academy award like the movie entitled “Parasite”, to the sweeping popularity of the ‘k-pop’ groups such as BTS and Blackpink, it is noted that Korean soft and cultural power is being well received by ASEAN people. Korean style and fashion, TV series, cosmetics, and certainly food are all getting increasing attention across the region.


On another side of the story, the ASEAN Korean Centre has done a great job in promoting awareness of ASEAN within the Korean people. The Centre has been very vocal in creating TV programs, travel exchanges and tourism promotion, educational programs, etc., related to ASEAN. Just recently, the Centre has worked with local government in Jeju island to establish the Jeju ASEAN Hall on 15 September 2022.


Before that, the ASEAN Culture House was opened in Busan city in 2017, being the largest centre for disseminating information on the cultural heritages of all the 10 ASEAN member states to Korean people.


These activities/events are tangible testimony of a widening awareness of the Korean people on ASEAN people and culture, and the reverse is also true. This positive trend has contributed significantly to the strengthening of mutual understanding and people-to-people connections.


Speaking of the bilateral relations between Cambodia and the ROK, this year is a very special year as we mark the 25th Anniversary of the re-establishment of the Cambodia-ROK relations.



Both countries established the diplomatic channel in 1970 but it was cut off in 1975. Under the visionary initiative of Samdech Techo Prime Minister HUN SEN, our diplomatic relations were re-established on 30 October 1997.


Since 1997, the relations have been amicably growing ever stronger which have resulted in fruitful cooperation in many areas, including defence, trade and investment, education, agro-industry, infrastructure, public health, water management, cultural and people exchanges, and ICT.


Cambodia and the ROK have solid economic cooperation. During the COVID-19, Cambodia and the ROK concluded a Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA).


For investment in Cambodia, ROK ranks 2nd after China, with investment amounts to $5.04 billion from 1994 to 2021. There are around 360 Korean companies operating in Cambodia.


In the area of development cooperation, ROK is the 3rd largest partner of Cambodia (after China and Japan), with primary focus upon key areas such as infrastructure development, water resource management, public health, education, and rural development.


The peoples of the two countries are tightly connected. Now in the ROK, there are over 45,000 Cambodian workers and around 8,000 Cambodian women married to Koreans; and there are 15,000 Koreans living and working in Cambodia. Due to this close connection, the leaders of two countries view one another as “Country in-law.”


 


Sim Vireak is the Strategic Advisor of the Asian Vision Institute (AVI). Second of a two part series.