NAPCI Can Look To Asean For Support, Knowledge - Academician

From Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz SEOUL, Dec 19 (Bernama) -– The Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI) introduced by South Korea can look to Asean for support and trust-building know-how, according to an academician. Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) Associate Professor Dr Kim Taehwan said with nearly 50 years of peaceful existence since 1967, the Asean success story should be explored. “South Korea could be more progressive and aggressive in reaching out to Asean with the issue of NAPCI. “Asean is really successful, so far. Meaning, they have experiences and knowledge that can be shared with us,” he told visiting Asean journalists at the KNDA office here recently. NAPCI, mooted by President Park Geun-hye is a process for the building of an order of multilateral cooperation and trust in Northeast Asia. Besides South Korea, it also involves the United States, Japan, China, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea. Dr Kim said cooperation with Asean could be done through joint seminars and researches on NAPCI issues, such as nuclear safety, cyberspace, counter-terrorism and disaster relief. He noted that Asean and South Korea could kick-off this cooperation through the Asean-ROK (Republic of Korea) or the Asean+3 Summit. "If South Korea could have some sort of official support for NAPCI from Asean, it would be great not only for South Korea, but also for global peace and prosperity," he added. NAPCI's goals include building trust through multilateral dialogue and cooperation and laying the foundation for sustainable peace and prosperity. -- BERNAMA