KOREA-ASEAN SUMMIT OPENS IN BUSAN

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The Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit opened in Busan today. This is the largest international meeting taking place in Korea under the current administration. It will be a chance to find out more about the Moon Jae-in government's policies on Southeast Asian nations.

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The 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong-Korea Summit, the largest international events organized under the Moon Jae-in administration opened in Busan. Cheong Wa Dae anticipates some 14,000 people to take part in these meetings. President Moon held a series of summits with the Thai prime minister and the leaders from Indonesia and the Philippines. They discussed ways to cooperate in various sectors, including smart city infrastructure, science and technology, as well as defense. The CEO Summit and the Culture Innovation Forum were also held. Some 600 cultural content creators and entrepreneurs from Korea and ASEAN attended the Culture Innovation Forum. Bang Si-hyuk, head of BTS's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, was among the speakers who talked about the future of cultural contents. This ASEAN-Korea event is looked to serve as a midterm progress report on the current administration's new Southern policy. Since taking office, Moon has worked hard to prepare and organize this summit, even visiting all ten ASEAN member nations to solidify Korea's cooperative partnerships. The president hopes to promote diplomacy and trade with the Southeast Asian region and secure new markets by expanding Korea's diplomatic priority beyond its four major neighboring countries.