JAKARTA, 26 August 2020 –Today, Senior Officials of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (ROK) held the 24^th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue via videoconference.

The dialogue reaffirmed both sides’ commitment to further strengthen ASEAN-ROK relations and discussed ways to make their partnership more robust in the coming years.

The meeting took note of the good progress made in ASEAN-ROK cooperation over the past year, including through the implementation of the ASEAN-ROK Plan of Action (2016-2020).

Both sides agreed to work closely to follow-up to the decisions and initiatives made by Leaders at the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in November 2019. They welcomed the finalisation of the new five-year Plan of Action (2021-2025) that will be adopted at the ASEAN-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting next month.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of ASEAN-ROK collaboration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as underlined by the Leaders at the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 held on 14 April 2020.

ASEAN appreciated the ROK’s active support in mitigating the impact of COVID-19, including through the implementation of the project on Enhancing the Detection Capacity for COVID-19 in ASEAN Member States and the ROK’s contribution to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.

Taking into consideration of the impact of COVID-19, both sides underlined the need to enhance cooperation in the post-pandemic recovery, particularly in new areas such as digital technology, digital economy and cybersecurity. They also agreed to further strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, development of MSMEs, climate change, disaster management, connectivity, smart city and infrastructure.

Promoting closer people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation would remain a priority, including through the activities of the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Seoul and the ASEAN Culture House in Busan. Furthermore, ASEAN welcomed the ROK’s increased contribution to the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund since 2019, to support more programmes and projects.

Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and concern such as the situation in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Emaleen Abd Rahman Teo, and Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK, Kim Gunn, co-chaired the 24^th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue. Senior Officials of ASEAN Member States and the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Political-Security Community attended the Dialogue.