Regional Gatherings

[Anchor Lead]

President Moon Jae-in will visit Singapore and Papua New Guinea next week to attend major regional gatherings. He's expected to stress cooperation between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN), marking one year since Seoul's announcement of its New Southern Policy initiative. Whether Moon will hold bilateral talks with leaders of Japan and other countries on the sidelines also draws attention.

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[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in(Nov. 2017 in Indonesia) : "My goal is to uplift Korea-ASEAN relations to the same level as Korea's ties with its four key neighbors."

President Moon Jae-in will meet leaders of ASEAN countries a year after he announced Seoul's New Southern Policy aimed at boosting cooperation with the regional bloc. The presidential office said Moon will make a six-day visit to Singapore and Papua New Guinea from November 13th to the 18th. In Singapore, he will attend the Korea-ASEAN summit as well as the ASEAN-Plus-Three Summit meeting which also includes China and Japan. During meetings with leaders of ASEAN's ten member nations, President Moon will explain Seoul’s “New Southern Policy" and emphasize the need to strengthen cooperative ties.

[Soundbite] Kim Eui-kyeom(Presidential Spokesman) : "The president will emphasize his determination for cooperation to expand trade and investment in the region and advance the East Asian community."

In Papua New Guinea, Moon will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC summit where he will outline his government's vision on building an innovative and more equitable country. The top office said President Moon is also seeking bilateral talks with world leaders on the sidelines of the APEC summit. The talks aim to not only boost friendly ties but also solicit global support for efforts to establish lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. Whether a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can also materialize is drawing particular attention as a Korean court ruling on compensation for Japan's wartime forced labor has caused diplomatic friction.