EXACTLY thirty years ago in November 1989, ASEAN and the
Republic of Korea (ROK) launched a Strategic Partnership for Peace and
Prosperity – to increase people-to-people contact, sustained prosperity, and
long-lasting peace – now enshrined as 3Ps (People, Prosperity, and Peace).
Subsequently, President Moon Jae-in initiated two regional initiatives – New
Southern Policy (NSP) and New Northern Policy (NNP) – since he took office in
May 2017 to further enhance the strategic partnerships. In promotion of the
NSP, President Moon Jae-in completed his official visits to all ten ASEAN
member states this year. The aim of his visits was to symbolically lead the way
to deepen people-to-people connectivity and stronger economic linkages between
our Southeast Asia region and the Korean Peninsula. Incidentally, the
fundamental elements of the NSP are in alignment with the ASEAN Community
Vision 2025 which called for people-centered and people-oriented community. In
complementary to the ASEAN-Korea Strategic Partnership Plan, the ASEAN has adopted
“Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025”, “ASEAN Communication Master Plan” and
ASEAN Sustainable-Urbanization-Strategy”. Additionally, the elements of NSP
also aligned with the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan 2018-2030 which
focused on three pillars of “Peace and Stability”, “Prosperity and
Partnership”, and “People and the Earth”. Such alignments all around provided
common interests for cooperation and enabled the ASEAN, Myanmar, and ROK to
connect on a heart-to-heart basis.
To commemorate this significant anniversary of friendship
ties, the ROK will host ASEAN-Korea Summit and the first Mekong-Korea Summit in
Busan during November 2019. Leading up to these summits, the ROK government has
sponsored various activities to include ASEAN-Korea Media Forum, ASEAN Week,
ASEAN-Korea Startup Week, and ASEAN-Korea Train Program throughout the month of
October.
I would like to share a unique and truly memorable
experience from my participation in the ASEAN-Korea Train Program – which
included a three-day train trip from the capital city of Seoul to four other
major cities in South Korea during 15-18 October 2019. This event was hosted by
the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organized by ASEAN-Korea Centre. I feel
honored and fortunate to have been selected by Myanmar Ministry of Education to
represent the Myanmar academia sector at this event. The Myanmar delegation
included seven delegates, and the team was led by Minister Dr. Pe Myint from
the Myanmar Ministry of Information.
The ASEAN-Korea train trip was intellectually stimulating
and very enjoyable for all of us. It created a unique opportunity for all
delegates to travel together, share knowledge, and develop a bond of
friendship. This event embodied the fundamental 3P elements of the NSP — People,
Prosperity and Peace. The train trip connected 200 people from ASEAN and South
Korea with different backgrounds to include ministers, ambassadors, business
people, academics, media professionals, artists, and youth. Over the course of
the journey, the participants had many opportunities to interact with each
other. We shared each other’s cultures and histories. As such, all of us gained
a better understanding of each other’s national history and developed an
appreciation for uniqueness of each cultures. The participants were entertained
by cultural performances throughout the journey on the train. Distinguished
artists from ASEAN member states and ROK performed their country’s dances and
music. As train took people from one place to another, so too the friendship
ties connecting the region and the people. It helped participants see how
greater cooperation and friendship amongst us can take both of our regions to
the new level of greater prosperity and greater peace in the ASEAN region and
on the Korean Peninsula.
The train journey began from Seoul and travelled to four
major cities: Gyeongju, Busan, Suncheon and Gwangju. On our first day, we
toured the Bulguksa temple, one of South Korea’s prominent world heritage
sites, in Gyeongju city. We learned about how carefully and thoughtfully South
Korea preserves its cultural sites. I see how Myanmar can better preserve our
own cultural heritage site like Bagan, which was recently listed as the
UNESCO’s world heritage site. The tour to Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve – one of
the world’s five major coastal wetlands – awed us with its natural beauty and
enchanting landscape. The ROK government’s effort to conserve the environment
was quite impressive. I thought about how Myanmar could improve the
conservation effort of the Inle Lake in Shan State.
On the second day, the train stopped at Busan, a large port
city of South Korea and the place to host ASEAN-Korea Summit in November 2019.
The tour of Busan highlighted the tangible benefits of cooperation and economic
partnership between ASEAN and South Korea. Number of visitors travelling
between ASEAN and ROK reached record figure of 11 million in 2018. The ASEAN is
ROK’s second largest trading partner in the world with two-way trade volume
reaching 160 billion USD in 2018. Besides, ROK is a country that has
investments in the manufacturing and infrastructure sector of Myanmar.
According to the figures of the Myanmar Investment Commission up to July 2019,
ROK had invested $3.9 billion for 177 investment projects, standing at the 6th
position among foreign investors countries. ROK’s investments have brought
employment opportunities, knowledge and skills into the country, and this could
create a better socio-economic situation for Myanmar people.
On our third day of the trip, we visited the Asian Culture
Center (ACC) in Gwangju city. This city is considered to be the heart of
Korean’s culture and arts. The ACC is a Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism-affiliated institution established for the advancement of mutual understanding
and cooperative growth with Asian countries through education and research in
Asian culture. The creativity and inclusivity displayed by the ASEAN-Korea
special exhibition at the Center delighted all of us. The exhibit illustrated
hundreds of hanging lanterns expressed by digital art, symbolizing peace and
prosperity between ASEAN and the Korean Peninsula. It also innovatively
featured interactive media art integrating ASEAN’s common traditional cultural
elements such as water, light, lantern, fabric, etc.
As the friendship train journey arrived at its final
destination, we were treated to a closing ceremony with the theme of peace. As
we bid our farewells to our host, travelling companions, and newly found
friends, we sang a song of hope – “Our Hope” – for a brighter future and for
one Korea on the Korean Peninsula one day. I also thought of peace for Myanmar.
I said a little prayer for Myanmar to be a peaceful nation one day with all of
us living in peaceful coexistence.
After the five-day program with three-day of train ride
across South Korea, I now have a better appreciation of the NSP. I realized
that the aim of prosperity within the NSP is more than just sharing of South
Korea’s development experience with the ASEAN’s developing countries; it includes
also laying the foundation necessary for the long-term growth of those
countries through infrastructure development and capacity building. I have high
hopes for the ASEAN-Korea Centre to serve as the bridge to coordinate
ASEAN-related initiatives and policies within ROK government to effectively
implement the vision set by the NSP. The train ride was a very innovative and
memorable way to bring people together from various backgrounds to celebrate an
incredible milestone of genuine understanding and partnership between the
people from the ASEAN region and the Korea Peninsula.
By Professor Chaw Chaw Sein, Ph.D. (University of Yangon)
References:
– ASEAN-Korea Center program book
– Speech of Minister of Foreign Affairs, ROK at closing
ceremony of ASEAN-Korea Train Program, 18-10-2019
By Professor Chaw Chaw Sein, Ph.D. (University of Yangon)
PHOTO CREDIT: KOREA.NET (THE OFFICIAL WEB PORTAL OF THE
SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT)
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