The government of the Republic of Korea (RoK) has announced its decision to hold the ASEAN Week from May 24-June 2 ahead of a scheduled summit between the country and ASEAN nations.
The RoK is set to host a series of summits and ministerial meetings among leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a special session on the country's resort island of Jeju on June 1 and 2, according to Yonhap news agency.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the RoK becoming ASEAN's dialogue partner. The Jeju event is also aimed at strengthening the RoK's relations with the regional bloc, the agency said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will hold a round of cultural performances, such as traditional fashion shows and photo exhibitions, and academic forums under various themes related to Southeast Asia in Seoul and Jeju during the week.
ASEAN is one of the RoK’s major partner in trade, politics, economics and security. In 2008, the RoK exported goods to ASEAN worth 49.3 billion USD and imported 40.9 billion USD in goods, accounting for 10.5 percent of the country’s trade value.
Five years ago, the sides adopted the joint declaration on RoK-ASEAN comprehensive cooperation partnership. In 2005, the two sides signed a framework agreement on a free trade area./.