Good evening Ambassador and Chairman Hernandez(헤르난데스),
ASEAN Council Directors,
Former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo,
Former Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan,
Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre
Ambassador Kim Young-sun,
Distinguished guests,
and Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to thank Secretary General Kim Young-sun and his staff at the ASEAN-Korea Centre for all their hard work in making the excellent preparations for this year’s council meeting.

On the occasion of this year’s meeting, I would also like to commend the contributions made by the ASEAN-Korea Center during the past year for further deepening the ties of friendship and cooperation. Every year, the Centre hosts various programs connecting businessmen, NGOs, journalists, scholars and students of ASEAN and Korea. These programs have been well received and highly appreciated by both sides.

In this regard, I wish to express special thanks for ASEAN’s decision to make financial contributions so that people from ASEAN will be offered more opportunities to work at the ASEAN-Korea Centre. This will help to ensure that the needs of ASEAN Member States are fully reflected in the Centre’s future programs. It will also take us closer to realizing the Centre’s vision, which is‘to be a key player in building a lasting and genuine partnership between ASEAN and Korea.’

As we all know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. Over the past half century, ASEAN has played an unprecedented role in bringing closer nations in that part of the world, diplomatically, economically, culturally and in many other dimensions.

In particular, with the launch of the ASEAN Community in 2015, it is expected that ASEAN will play a greater role and more meaningful role for regional peace and prosperity. With a collective population of 630 million, and a track record of a robust annual growth rate at 5 to 6 percent, ASEAN is poised to become the fourth largest economic bloc by the year 2050.

When I look back upon the relations between Korea and ASEAN, I believe that the establishment of the Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in 1989 was an important milestone. ASEAN is now Korea’s second largest trading partner and investment destination. Above all else, ASEAN is the most popular travel destinations for Koreans.

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, and at the same time to further strengthen our bilateral ties, we have designated 2017 as “The Year of ASEAN-Korea Cultural Exchange.” We are anticipating various events, such as the international conference on ASEAN-Korea partnership, the ASEAN Food Festival, and the Asian traditional orchestra concert.
We are also planning to open the ASEAN Culture House in Busan later this year, which will play a key role as the one and only institution of its kind outside ASEAN. This ASEAN Culture House will serve as a bridge between not just Korea and ASEAN, but also as a link between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia down the road.

It is particularly so because Northeast Asia does not yet have a meaningful regional body. I hope this ASEAN Culture House in Busan, together with the ASEAN-Korea Centre here in Seoul, will be a channel to spread Southeast Asia’s unique experiences of multilateralism to this part of Asia. In this vein, I hope we can rely upon support of ASEAN Member States in successfully opening and running the ASEAN Culture House.

Once again, it is a great pleasure to join all of you this evening. And I wish the Council Meeting a great success. I look forward to another year of fantastic partnership between Korea and ASEAN. Thank you.