Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Strengthening ROK-ASEAN coexistence and solidarity in the defense area… emphasizing expanded cooperation to respond to non-traditional security threats

Discussed plan for defense cooperation with representatives from each country

Resumed in-person meeting after a three-year hiatus

Explained current implementation status of twelve defense cooperation tasks

“ASEAN hopes to expand cooperation with the ROK in various areas”

"We confirmed ASEAN’s willingness to provide active cooperation"

On September 6, Vice Minister of National Defense held the ‘ROK-ASEAN Defense Vice-Ministerial Meeting 2022’ with representatives from each country, at which participants enjoyed an in-depth discussion on defense cooperation measures.

Held on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) 2022, the meeting was attended by representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. They exchanged opinions under the theme of ‘How to Develop ROK-ASEAN Defense Cooperation to Build Peace and Prosperity in the Region.’

The ROK-ASEAN defense vice-ministerial meeting was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2021, the meeting was held via video link. The in-person meeting this year was the first one after a three-year hiatus.

“Since its launch in 2017, the meeting has gradually become established as a key multilateral consultative group in the region due to its contribution to advancing ROK-ASEAN defense cooperation and enhancing peace,” Shin assessed. “In the post COVID-19 era, the ROK and ASEAN need to expand cooperation by jointly responding to security threats in the region, through a shared approach that leverages each of our strengths,” Shin added.

Shin also explained the current status of the cooperation tasks related to the ‘ROK-ASEAN defense cooperation implementation plan,’ which has been updated since it was unveiled at the ROK-ASEAN defense ministerial meeting held last year. The implementation plan consists of twelve implementation tasks, including △ contributing to building an open regional order through free exchanges, △ expanding complementary security cooperation to establish peace in the region, and △ strengthening sustainable partnerships for coexistence, under the vision of ‘contribution to enhancing freedom, peace, and prosperity in the region by establishing ROK-ASEAN coexistence and solidarity in the defense area.’

“As the twelve cooperation tasks are the ROK’s commitment to ASEAN countries, the Yoon administration is pushing forward with ‘building ROK-ASEAN Coexistence and Solidarity’ while emphasizing cooperation with ASEAN,” Shin underlined.

The vice ministers from ASEAN countries also hoped to work together with the ROK to discover and advance opportunities for cooperation in various areas by providing active support to the ROK’s plan for the implementation of ROK-ASEAN defense cooperation.

“During the meeting, the ASEAN countries expressed the opinion that consultations through multilateral security cooperation channels in which the ROK and ASEAN participate would also be useful apart from respect for ASEAN Centrality, and hope for cooperation with the ROK in responding to non-traditional threats in the region, including cyber threats, counterterrorism response, humanitarian support and disaster response,” the ministry said in a statement.

Some ASEAN countries asked to strengthen interoperability through ROK-ASEAN joint military exercises and expanded cooperation with the ROK to beef up the marine security capabilities, expressing concerns about the possibility of maritime territory disputes in the region.

“During the ROK-ASEAN defense vice-ministerial meeting, we have clarified our will to continuously push forward with the ‘ROK-ASEAN defense cooperation implementation plan,’ which is a mid- to long-term road map for cooperation with ASEAN, and confirmed ASEAN’s willingness to provide active cooperation,” a spokesperson for the ministry assessed.

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>