ASEAN-Korea Centre Struggling To Narrow Development Gap Among ASEAN Region

Seoul, S Korea (Antara Bali) - The ASEAN-Korea Centre will continue to narrow the development gap among ASEAN member states by improving connectivity and building capacity.

"To narrow the gap among ASEAN countries, the ASEAN-Korea Centre will continue to enhance connectivity and to build capacity among ASEAN countries," Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, Kim Young Sun, said here on Tuesday.

According to Sun, the enhancement of connectivity will spur domestic connectivity through economic development sustained by infrastructure and communications networks within the each country.  
The connectivity will reduce the costs of investment and international trade in goods and services. As a result, the gap can be reduced among ASEAN countries.

With regard to building capacity, the ASEAN-Korea countries held an international workshop to raise awareness about the importance of forests in August 2015.

Some 100 students from Korea and ASEAN member states participated in Korea for the first four days, followed by six days in Indonesia.

The program explored diverse educational and cultural activities in the Wanagama Forest, Indonesia's representative case of forest conservation.

The workshop provided team-building activities, lectures from forestry experts and visits to sites, such as the Korea Forest Research Institute, the ASEAN Secretariat, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre has implemented various work programs aimed at forging a mutually beneficial partnership, and will continue to play a key role in taking this partnership to a higher level.

In addition, the Centre will carry out programs, such as the ASEAN-Trade Fair, various ASEAN-Korea SME Support programs to promote trade expansion and balanced trade, as well as contributing to narrowing the development gap within the ASEAN region.

Moreover, through culture, tourism and people to people exchange programs, such as the ASEAN Culture and Tourism Fair, ASEAN-Korea Tourism Development Workshop, ASEAN-Korea Youth Network and others, the Centre will strive to bring ASEAN and Korea closer together, connecting the hearts of the peoples of the two regions.

The amount of investment required for infrastructure projects in ASEAN is the second largest in the world, after the Middle East region. McKinsey, a global consulting company, predicts that US$3.3 trillion in investments will be required in transport, water, energy and ICT areas in ASEAN countries between now and 2030.

When the ASEAN Economic Community, made up of 6.4 billion people and a combined total GDP of US$2.4 trillion is established, enormous opportunities for large-scale infrastructure projects will be created. (WDY)