Kuala lumpur: President Lee Jae Myung announced that South Korea will enhance its cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the issue of transnational crimes and protect young people from falling prey to organized criminal networks in Southeast Asia.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee made these remarks during South Korea's summit with ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur, amid rising concerns over online scam operations targeting Koreans. This follows the tragic incident involving a Korean college student who was tortured and killed after being lured to a scam center in Cambodia.
Lee emphasized the importance of addressing organized criminal rings, such as scam centers, which have proliferated in border areas where legal enforcement is weak. He noted that many young individuals are unfortunately becoming victims of these transnational crimes. To counter this, the Korean National Police Agency plans to collaborate closely with ASEANAPOL (ASEAN Police Chiefs) to dismantle these criminal hubs and prevent transnational crimes from taking root in the region. The initiative aims to enhance criminal justice cooperation both bilaterally and within ASEAN.
In his first participation in the annual gathering since assuming office in June, Lee also outlined Seoul's strategy to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) established with ASEAN last year. He proposed hosting a special Korea-ASEAN summit in 2029 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The "CSP vision" seeks to position South Korea as a "contributor" to dreams and hope, a "springboard" for growth and innovation, and a "partner" for peace and stability.
Under this initiative, South Korea aims to increase reciprocal visits to 15 million people per year and boost annual bilateral trade to US$300 billion. The country also plans to play a more active role in combating transnational crimes, enhancing maritime security, and supporting disaster relief to ensure regional peace and stability.
To achieve the proposed trade volume goal, Lee stated that his government will initiate negotiations to expand the scope of the free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN and strengthen economic ties. He expressed these ambitions in a contribution to The Star, a Malaysian daily, highlighting the goal of achieving an annual trade volume of $300 billion between Korea and ASEAN and initiating negotiations to upgrade the Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.
South Korea and ASEAN have a longstanding economic relationship, having signed an FTA on the trade of goods in 2006, followed by agreements on services in 2007 and investment in 2009.