Business leaders of S. Korea, ASEAN to discuss cooperation, green growth

SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- Business leaders from South Korea and the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were to have their second-day meeting Monday
to discuss ways to intensify cooperation and review possible future business
opportunities.

The business leaders summit held under the theme of "Change, Challenge, and
Collaboration for ASIA's Prosperity" started on Sunday on the sidelines of the
South Korea-ASEAN special summit marking the 20th anniversary of a dialogue
partnership between the two regions.
Intended to enhance bilateral business cooperation, the summit touched on such
issues as the global economy, trade and investment activities and co-prosperity
during first-day discussions.
Participants will continue talks on corporate strategies in the face of the
changing business environment, and how best to implement eco-friendly growth,
according to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which organized
the meeting.
The second-day meeting comprises two sessions. The first one will start at 9:30
a.m. under the theme of corporate strategies in the face of the changing business
environment, followed by the second one with focus on how best to implement
eco-friendly growth in the afternoon, KCCI said.
In between, there will be an investment relations session by the Korea
Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
The two-day meeting will be wrapped up with special speeches by Malaysian Prime
Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, the
organizer said.
The meeting comes as South Korea's trade with the association nearly tripled to
around US$90 billion last year from 2001, according to the ministry. The expanded
exchanges made South Korea ASEAN's third-largest trading partner. ASEAN is the
fifth-largest for South Korea.
The ASEAN member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Around 700 businesspeople are expected to attend the gathering, the largest and
first of its kind between the two regions, reviewing their investment
opportunities and future-oriented cooperation in diverse areas.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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