JOINT STATEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASEAN-REPUBLIC OF KOREA COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

WE, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea (ROK), gathered on the occasion of the 25th ASEAN-ROK Summit to Commemorate the 35th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations on 10 October 2024, in Vientiane, the Lao People's Democratic Republic;

NOTING with satisfaction the remarkable development of ASEAN-ROK relations and the significant progress made in ASEAN-ROK cooperation since the establishment of Dialogue Relations in 1989;

REAFFIRMING the principles and objectives enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the United Nations Charter, Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP);

RECOGNISING ASEAN Centrality and its leading role in developing and shaping an open, transparent, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law and is anchored on ASEAN-led mechanisms;

NOTING that the AOIP and the ROK’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) share relevant fundamental principles in promoting peace and cooperation, and that the IPS demonstrates the ROK’s commitment to a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region;

WELCOMING the ROK’s commitment to deepen and expand ASEAN-ROK cooperation, including through the implementation of the ROK’s Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI);

REAFFIRMING our commitment to advancing ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations based on mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual benefit;

ACKNOWLEDGING the ROK’s plan to increase its contribution to ASEAN-related cooperation funds to USD 48 million per annum by 2027 to support the implementation of the AOIP.

DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:

1. Establish an ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that is meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial, on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations, heralding a new era of deeper cooperation in our relations;

2. Support ASEAN community building efforts and regional integration through major strategies and initiatives, including the forthcoming ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans, as well as the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025) and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan IV (2021-2025) and their successor documents;

3. Continue to implement the Joint Statement of the 24th ASEAN-ROK Summit on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific adopted in 2023 with a view to supporting the advancement of the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner;

4. Advance peace and security for all, including by:

i. Increasing engagement through dialogue, diplomacy, and networking at all levels through ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN-ROK Summit, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the Post Ministerial Conference with the ROK (PMC+1), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), and other relevant regional and multilateral frameworks;

ii. Tackling non-traditional and emerging security issues, including cybersecurity, and transnational crimes, in addition to traditional security issues;

iii. Continuing to affirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);

iv. Promoting cooperation on maritime safety and security, including maritime law enforcement; and respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS; and

v. Supporting the ROK’s efforts in resuming peaceful dialogue and continuing working towards the realisation of lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised, peaceful, and prosperous Korean Peninsula, and welcoming the ROK’s endeavors towards this end, while acknowledging the importance it places on the “August 15 Unification Doctrine.”

5. Build a smarter, and a more sustainable, resilient, and connected future, including by:

i. Promoting cooperation in science, technology, innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital economy, creative industry, smart infrastructure, smart agriculture, smart cities, smart mobility, renewable energy and future industries;

ii. Implementing environment and climate change initiatives including through the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change (ACCC) and the Partnership for ASEAN-ROK Methane Action (PARMA), and enhancing cooperation in areas such as carbon neutrality, sustainable resilience, green transition, energy security, circular economy, blue economy, and sustainable water resources management, among others;

iii. Exploring possible cooperation to support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on the Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) to effectively address land and forest fires, including through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) as well as cooperation with ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), ASEAN Research and Training Center for Space Technology and Applications (ARTSA) and Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation (AFoCO);

iv. Actively pursuing mobility and connectivity initiatives, including through supporting the implementation of MPAC 2025 and its successor documents and working towards the expeditious conclusion of a more liberal and mutually beneficial ASEAN-ROK Air Services Agreement to further enhance air connectivity between and beyond ASEAN and the ROK;

v. Strengthening financial cooperation to enhance stability and resilience, including through the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) and the Asian Bond Markets Initiative;

vi. Intensifying trade and investment facilitation and economic integration by fully utilising bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, including the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement;

vii. Enhancing economic security and supply chain resilience between ASEAN and the ROK for our shared sustainable development;

viii. Fostering closer alignment with global and regional development goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and pursuing effective and efficient development cooperation, including the ROK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes;

ix. Supporting business-to-business cooperation, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), start-ups, youth and women’s business empowerment and creating a conducive and favourable environment for the ASEAN and the ROK businesses, including through the ASEAN-Korea Centre and ASEAN-ROK Business Council;

x. Reinforcing cooperation to narrow the development gap in ASEAN, particularly through the cooperation frameworks with the ROK's participation such as the Mekong-ROK and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area-ROK (BIMP-EAGA-ROK) Cooperation frameworks, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Mekong River Commission; and

xi. Strengthening cooperation on food security by the effective implementation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).

6. Create a socio-cultural platform for young and future generations, including by:

i. Investing in educational, cultural, youth exchange programmes to foster cross-cultural understanding and educational opportunities;

ii. Enhancing human resources, including through capacity building as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET);

iii. Pursuing comprehensive cooperation in disaster management, public health, social welfare, ageing society, gender equality and sustainable development, and exploring cooperation to address any potential impact of low birth rate to the region;

iv. Expanding cooperation and exchange in the fields of culture and arts, cultural heritage, media and information, tourism, and sports; and

v. Promoting closer cooperation in labour and employment, including through training programmes and the exchange of experts.

7. Support Timor-Leste in its fulfilment of the objective and criteria-based Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN;

8. Increase the utilisation of existing platforms and institutions, including the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul, the ASEAN-ROK Financial Cooperation Centre in Jakarta, and the ASEAN Culture House in Busan, ASEAN Cultural Center in Bangkok, and ASEAN Centres in the ASEAN Member States to further promote mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as the effective utilisation of funding support from the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund, and the AKFTA Economic Cooperation Projects Fund.

ADOPTED in Vientiane, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, on the Tenth Day of October in the Year Two Thousand Twenty-Four.