ASEAN cooperation can be emulated in Northeast Asia: deputy FM

Northeast Asia should draw upon the experience of Southeast Asia to build trust and expand cooperation within the region, a senior government official said Monday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun made the remark during an international conference meant to examine the link between the trust-building and multilateral cooperation mechanisms of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, one of South Korea's key diplomatic campaigns aimed at enhancing regional closeness.

Citing ASEAN's growth from a small-scale regional cooperation mechanism in 1967 to the world's seventh-largest economy with a combined GDP of US$3 trillion, Kim lauded the countries for their continued efforts to build trust and increase dialogue over the decades.

"ASEAN member states did not let uneasy bilateral relations get in the way of forging multilateral cooperation," he said in an address to the conference. "The starting point of multilateral cooperation was in areas that are relatively less sensitive and easy to build cooperation."

ASEAN began its cooperation in non-political areas before expanding it to political and economic areas, he said.

"Through NAPCI, ASEAN's success story in promoting cooperation, resolving conflicts, and building trust in Southeast Asia can also be repeated in Northeast Asia," he said. "The successful implementation of NAPCI will not only complement the existing multilateral cooperation mechanisms that are important to ASEAN, such as the EAS and the ARF, but also contribute to achieving peace and prosperity all across the Asia Pacific region."

The East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum bring together top government officials from as far as the United States and Russia to discuss regional cooperation issues. (Yonhap)