The 23rd ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit
Can Cambodia help spur greater bilateral cooperation, revitalise the six-party talks over North Korea and further regional peace and stability within an environment of great power rivalry?
UPDATE: The Long Mekong’s intrepid editor remains at large in Thailand, but readers can enjoy a number of articles that address key concerns for the ongoing round of ASEAN and EAS summits currently underway in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
As the ASEAN Chair for 2022, Cambodia is honoured to host the 23rd ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit in Phnom Penh. The 22nd ASEAN-ROK Summit was held virtually in October 2021 with his Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam presiding. Cambodia and the ROK have maintained excellent relations and a large number of Cambodian students and employees reside and or work in the ROK. A key concern for the summit are the continuing missile test launches being conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has consistently urged North Korea to abide by international law and denounced its repeated missile tests, which it deems as provocative acts that endanger regional security. However, on October 4th, 2022, North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test launch, which passed over the Yellow sea and Japanese territory. According to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, North Korea is provoking greater instability into an already sensitive situation and threatening regional security. In a news statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFA), he was reported as saying, “The move was risky and constituted another breach of UN Security Council Resolutions.”
MoFA has called on the DPRK to fully comply with all pertinent UNSC Resolutions and its international obligations and called on all concerned parties to exercise self-restraint and create an environment conducive to the early resumption of the Six-Party Talks to bring about a complete, verifiable, irreversible, and peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
As a small nation that has experienced numerous wars throughout its history, Cambodia is aware of how challenging it is to live with threats and provocations. Cambodia has made every effort as the 2022 ASEAN Chair to address both regional and ASEAN security issues, particularly those that affect allies ASEAN allies. While Cambodia has sought cooperation with all parties to address security issues and other concerns, success has proved elusive due to the intractability of some issues, which exceeded not just Cambodia’s, but also ASEAN’s collective capabilities.
Sectoral dialogue contacts between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (ROK) were first established in November 1989. In July 1991 at the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN granted the ROK full Dialogue Partner status. In 1997, collaboration was upgraded to Summit level, again in Kuala Lumpur, and in 2004, the ROK officially joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). Since then, cooperation through the ASEAN-ROK Summit and ministerial level meetings has generated steady improvements in both the political and security spheres.
In another move to strengthen ASEAN-ROK ties, South Korea has pledged to strengthen its Strategic Partnership with ASEAN through its New Southern Policy (NSP Plus) and identified seven (7) core areas of cooperation to strengthen joint efforts that address shared challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To jointly create a more resilient and sustainable future, ASEAN and South Korea issued a Joint Statement, at the 22nd ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, on Advancing ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation for a People-centered Community of Peace and Prosperity.
People-to-people exchange was prioritized at the ASEAN-ROK summit in an effort to strengthen ties and increase mutual understanding between the two peoples. Key initiatives and activities to boost people-to-people contacts include the annual ASEAN-ROK Media People Exchanges Programme and the ASEAN-ROK Film Leaders Incubator (FLY), both of which started in 2012. The success of both programs has led to further efforts to expand collaboration in organizing and developing films and audio-visual material.
A key joint concern voiced during the 22nd ASEAN-ROK Summit was the situation in Myanmar. Demands for the liberation of political prisoners, including those of foreign nationals, and allegations of ongoing violence and fatalities were presented. Myanmar was urged to adhere to the Five-Point Consensus, agreed at the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on April 24th, 2021, and its prompt and full implementation.
While ASEAN has adopted a unique “Outlook on the Indo-Pacific”, the US-led Indo-Pacific concept, and its various strategies and policies, have generally proven unworkable. South Korea needs to acquire a comprehensive understanding of ASEAN’s approach to realise further growth in cooperation. For instance, Cambodia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific concept is limited by its political neutrality and balanced approach to relations with the US, EU and China. The ROK’s embassies in ASEAN member states play an important role in gaining greater understanding of both Cambodia’s approach and ASEAN’s commitment to regional peace and cooperation.
Dr. Seun Sam is a Policy Analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Long Mekong