1. The ASEAN-Korea Centre, an international organization established in 2009 by the Republic of Korea and the ten member states of ASEAN to boost trade and investment and promote cultural and tourism exchanges between the ROK and ASEAN, will hold its seventh Annual Council Meeting in Seoul on February 5 and 6.

2. At the forthcoming Annual Council Meeting, the participating Council Directors will review the Centre’s activities in 2014; examine and approve the budget and action plans of the work programs in 2015; and discuss in depth the follow-up measures to the latest ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

◦ In particular, as ASEAN is scheduled to launch a community in 2015 for cooperation in politics, security, economy, social affairs and culture, the body is expected to see its standing further enhanced in the regional and global communities in the year. The ROK government, by building upon the ASEAN-ROK joint statement titled “Our Future Vision of ASEAN-ROK Strategic Partnership” adopted at the Commemorative Summit held in Busan in December 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of the bilateral dialogue relations, will substantially implement the follow-up measures to the Summit aimed to step up cooperation with ASEAN in various sectors.

3. On the sidelines of the Annual Council Meeting, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yong will host a welcoming reception on February 5 to mark the sixth anniversary since its inaugural meeting. The reception will bring together some 200 people, including Council Directors from ASEAN member countries, foreign diplomats to the ROK and leaders from such various sectors as the political, press, academic, business and cultural circles.

4. The ROK government will continue rendering active support for the ASEAN- Korea Centre to play a pivotal role in expanding and deepening the ROK-ASEAN cooperative ties, which were taken a notch higher by the latest ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit. 


                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation