Seoul declares ambitious diplomatic initiative for Asia

JAKARTA, March 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Sunday announced a new diplomatic initiative toward Asia, seeking to boost its diplomatic and economic influence through closer relations with all of the countries in the region.

Under the so-called "New Asia Initiative," unveiled after President Lee Myung-bak
wound up his visit to Indonesia, South Korea will also strive to conclude free
trade agreements (FTAs) with these countries, according to the presidential
office Cheong Wa Dae.
"Now is the time we must again pay closer attention to Asia's growing importance.
The center of the world is moving from the West to the East, and this movement is
fast gaining speed by the day," the president said earlier Sunday while meeting
with the country's top diplomats to 25 Asian nations gathered here.
Lee has already launched the new initiative, his aides said, by choosing three
nations in the southern hemisphere of the region, including New Zealand and
Australia, as his first overseas destinations this year. His trip ended here in
the world's most populous Muslim nation.
The unprecedented initiative also calls for Asia's fourth-largest economy to play
a greater role as a leading partner to the less developed nations in the region.
"While working as a chair of the G-20 summit and improving its cooperative
relations with the big nations in Asia, including China and Japan, South Korea
can foster a new environment where it can speak for the rest of Asia," the
presidential office said in a statement.
To this end, Seoul will seek to hold a three-way summit with Beijing and Tokyo in
the latter half of the year.
Given the rivalry between China and Japan and regional relations that are not
always smooth, South Korea can find areas to deepen cooperation with other Asian
nations on international issues, Cheong Wa Dae said.
The office noted that South Korea's bid to diversify its diplomatic focus from
the United States and other regional superpowers, such as China, Russia and
Japan, is inevitable due to the growing influence and importance of Asia, which
accounts for 52 percent of the world's population and 26 percent of global trade.
"Asia is our new frontier for growth," the statement said.
Becoming a new leader of Asia, however, will require tremendous efforts and
leadership from Seoul as it also acknowledges the need to first win the support
and confidence of countries it wishes to represent.
"First of all, South Korea will have to take leadership in addressing major
international issues, such as the global financial crisis and climate change,"
the presidential office said.
Seoul plans to hold a special summit with the 10 member nations of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, on its southern resort island
of Jeju in June.
The initiative will also require improving ties with each and every nation in the
region by offering what each of them needs.
"The country will work to sign FTAs with every country in the region at the
earliest possible date so that Korea can work as a hub in an FTA network in the
region," it said.
Seoul announced the start of FTA talks with New Zealand and Australia last week
during President Lee's visits to the countries. It concluded a trade deal, known
as comprehensive economic partnership agreement, with India, and is expected to
launch FTA talks with Turkey before the year's end.
"Increasing our cooperation with Asia, which has the world's largest population
and market, as well as enormous potentials for growth, is not a matter of choice.
It simply is a must," Cheong Wa Dae said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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