Busan is good

ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to Be Held in Busan in December

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The special summit between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be held at BEXCO in Busan for two days beginning December 11.

The government will invite the top leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries to mark the 25th anniversary of establishing ROK-ASEAN ties. About 3500 delegates including the leaders of 10 ASEAN member countries, cabinet members, entrepreneurs, and press corps are expected to participate in the summit.

The first special ROK-ASEAN summit was held in Jeju in 2009. The second special ROK-ASEAN summit will be held under the slogan, “Building Trust Bringing Happiness.” The special leaders’ summit is scheduled to be held along with a CEO summit as well as a variety of cultural events and exhibitions in Busan.  

Busan makes an ideal choice to hold the ROK-ASEAN summit not only due to its strong track record of hosting large scale international events and its excellent convention infrastructure, but also because of its mild weather and wonderful natural environment. The city also has continuing exchanges with six sister and friendship cities in Southeast Asia. The Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) (located in Jakarta, Indonesia) also projected Busan to serve as the venue for the summit.

In 2005, Busan successfully hosted the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and nearly ten years, Busan has again been selected as the venue of the first multilateral summit to be hosted by the Park administration and the most important international event to be held in Korea this year.

To ensure a successful summit, the city will provide comprehensive administrative support and also plans to host other cultural events to promote the City of Busan.  

ASEAN consists of 10 member nations in Southeast Asia, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 is expected to create a market made up of 600 million people with a total GDP of 2 trillion USD.

ASEAN has emerged as a key partner for Korea in trade, investment, and construction. ASEAN is not only Korea’s second largest trading partner after China, but also its second largest destination for investment and the second largest region from which Korea receives construction orders.

The ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA) entered into force in 2009 and since then trade relations between Korea and ASEAN have dramatically increased. The ASEAN-Korea Center was established as an intergovernmental organization consisting of the ten ASEAN Member States and the ROK in March 2009. In 2010, a joint declaration on ASEAN-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity was adopted, and later in 2012 the Korean government established the Mission of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, where the ASEAN Secretariat is located.

ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit 2014

○ Period: December 11 - 12, 2014

○ Venue: BEXCO, APEC Nurimaru House and other locations in Busan

○ About 3,500 participants including leaders of the Republic of Korea and the 10 ASEAN member countries, entrepreneurs and more

○ Main Events: Leaders’ Summit, Cultural Performances, CEO Summit, Exhibitions and more

○ The Ministry and Office Concerned: Ministry of Foreign Affairs