The Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Thailand hosted a seminar on “Korea’s New Indo-Pacific Strategy and ASEAN: Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Indo-Pacific Geopolitics” on February 21, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. In collaboration with the Institute of Security and International Studiesand the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, the discussions focused on South Korea’s first comprehensive regional strategy and its commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN in promoting peace and prosperity.
Mekong Institute (MI)’s Executive Director, Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, joined a panel discussion highlighting the continued partnership between the ROK and the Mekong region which has progressed significantly since 2013. In his session titled “ROK-Mekong Cooperation”, he underscored the contribution of the Korean government through the establishment of the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF) since 2012. To date, the MKCF has approved 40 cooperation projects under the following priority areas:
- Culture and Tourism;
- Human Resource Development;
- Agriculture and Rural Development;
- Infrastructure;
- Information Communication Technology (ICT) Environment;
- Non-traditional Security Challenges.
Also in attendance was MI’s Director of Trade and Investment Facilitation Department (TIF), and Coordinator of the MKCF, Mr. Madhurjya K. Dutta, as well as other distinguished guests, diplomats, scholars and the media.
