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Lee outlines new initiative for deeper Asean cooperation, increased trade

Published: 27 Oct. 2025, 17:58

SARAH KIM
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Korean President Lee Jae Myung, sixth from left, poses for a photo with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during the Korea-Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 27. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday in Malaysia unveiled his new "CSP" initiative, laying out Korea's blueprint to deepen its comprehensive strategic partnership with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), including aiming for $300 billion in annual trade volume.

Through his CSP vision, which stands for "contributor, springboard and partner," Lee outlined three pillars to enhance cooperation with the 11 Asean member states, which includes expanding people-to-people exchanges, boosting bilateral trade and jointly combating transnational crimes.

"Korea will be a 'contributor' that helps realize Asean dreams and hopes," Lee said at the Korea-Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, pledging to open an era of 15 million annual reciprocal visits between Korea and South East Asian countries, and to contribute to building a "people-centered" community.

He added that Korea further will "serve as a 'springboard' for Asean's growth and innovation," while setting the goal of achieving $300 billion in annual bilateral trade.

Lee further stressed that Korea will be a "'partner' for peace and stability in Asean," promising to actively respond to regional needs in areas such as transnational crime prevention, maritime security and disaster management and strengthen the foundation for a resilient regional community.

Seoul will also prepare to host a special Korea-Asean summit in 2029 to mark the 40th anniversary of formal relations, Lee added.

During the summit, Lee also raised concerns over the recent spread of organized scam operations and criminal networks in the region. This comes following public outrage over the torture and death of a Korean university student in Cambodia, which highlighted an intricate web of scam networks in the region.

Lee said that the Korean National Police Agency will cooperate with Aseanpol to eradicate organized crime zones and eliminate transnational crimes in the region.

Lee also stressed that Asean is one of Korea's top three trading partners and noted that Korea has invested in Asean's future through official development assistance, or ODA, amounting to some $8.5 billion over the years.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the Asean-plus-three summit, involving South Korea, China and Japan, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 27. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Later, during the Asean-plus-three summit involving South Korea, China and Japan, Lee stressed the need for a coordinated regional response to the complex and multilayered crises.

Lee noted that "30 years after the launch of Asean-plus-three, we now face new geopolitical challenges such as protectionism and global supply chain restructuring," calling on Asean and the three Northeast Asian countries to "accelerate its cooperation to respond effectively."

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attended the Asean gathering, meaning Lee's first meeting with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be at the APEC summit in Gyeongju later this week.

The Asean leaders in turn expressed strong support for the South Korean's government's Korean Peninsula peace initiative and expressed hopes to upgrade the Korea-Asean FTA, Kang Yu-jung, presidential spokesperson stated in a press briefing,

President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet hold a bilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the margins of the Asean summit. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In a bilateral summit Monday, Lee and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to establish a joint task force between the two countries' law enforcement agencies starting next month to investigate online scams and fight crimes such as the kidnapping and detention of Koreans in Cambodia.

Lee said Seoul is "sincerely thankful to the Cambodian authorities for their special consideration for the Korean people."

Manet offered his "deepest condolences" over the death of the Korean university student who died in Cambodia, and stressed that Cambodian police authorities "did not remain silent" and "immediately investigated and arrested the perpetrators."

He added that Cambodia is cooperating with Korea to track down those involved in the scam operation, stressing to Lee, "The well-being of Koreans in Cambodia is a very high priority."

Lee in turn said that he plans to instruct the Korean government to consider lowering the travel advisory in some regions in Cambodia, including Phnom Penh, taking into consideration the public security situation and the activation of a dedicated Korea task force.

On the margins of the Asean gathering, Lee also held bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday, focusing expectations to expand economic ties through the cinching of their bilateral free trade pact.

Wrapping a two-day trip, Lee departed Malaysia Monday afternoon and is set to continue his whirlwind week of diplomacy as Korea hosts the APEC summit in Gyeongju, which will bring together the leaders of leading economies, including the United States, Japan and China.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]