In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(hereafter ‘ASEAN’), experts in academia and the media will gather in one place to widen their discussion 

about the future trajectories of ASEAN and explore new prospects to boost cooperative ties between Korea 

and ASEAN.

At the 12th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity that will be held at the International Convention Center Jeju 

from May 31 to June 2, 2017, leading journalists and think tanks scholars in the Southeast Asian region are 

expected to make a serious and thought-provoking evaluation of future Korea-ASEAN relations.

The ASEAN Think Tank Summit is divided into two major parts: ‘Journalists’ Roundtable’ and ‘Think Tank 

Summit.’ Professor of Political Science at Sogang University Shin Yoon-hwan will serve as the keynote speaker 

for the Journalists’ Roundtable session that will be scheduled for a 90-minute time slot from 02:50 p.m. on 

the 31st of May 2017. Senior Editor of the Jakarta Post Endy M. Bayuni, Associate Editor of the Straits Times 

Ravi Velloor, Editor of the Star Online Philip S. Golingai, and Associate Editor of the Philippine Star Doreen Yu 

will serve as debaters for the session.

After the keynote speech on the topic of ‘ASEAN-Korea future-oriented cooperation,’ participants at this 

session will engage in heated debates on the sub-topics that include ASEAN Integration; Korea-ASEAN win-

win partnership; and the role of the media in bolstering ties between Korea and ASEAN.

The Think Tank Summit session will commence only after the Journalists’ Roundtable session ends. Co-chaired 

by Former South Korean Ambassador to Singapore and President of Jeju Peace Institute Suh Chung-ha and 

Founding President of the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies Philippines Carolina G. Hernandez, 

this session will provide a platform for Southeast Asian experts to discuss the topic of the ‘role of think tanks 

for the Korea-ASEAN relations’ from 04:40 p.m. Professor of International Relations at the S. Rajaratnam 

School of International Studies Ralf Emmers, Research Fellow at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Duc 

Hung Nguyen, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Centre for Strategic and 

International Studies Indonesia Philips Vermonte, and Former South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Lee 

Sun-jin will serve as a panel discussant for the session. 

This session will provide an invaluable opportunity to discuss ASEAN’s most notable achievements in the past 

fifty years of its existence since 1967; major challenges in its goal to move towards the ASEAN Community 

and emerging opportunities; the potential impacts of Brexit on ASEAN and East Asia; and the role of think 

tanks in further strengthening Korea-ASEAN cooperation.

Since its inception in Bangkok on August 8, 1967, ASEAN has long aimed for the creation of the ASEAN 

Community that is comprised of three pillars: The Political-Security Community, Economic Community and 

Socio-Cultural Community. Currently, ASEAN has ten Member States: Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, 

Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodian. If ASEAN were a single entity, it 

would rank as the seventh largest economy in the world behind the USA, China, Japan, Germany, France, 

and the United Kingdom.

South Korea began sectoral dialogue relations with ASEAN in 1989. The Korea-ASEAN Summit has been 

formalized since 1997. Korea has consistently participated in the ASEAN plus Three mechanism (ASEAN plus 

China, Korea and Japan), which is fully geared towards achieving cooperation between ASEAN and East 

Asian region. ASEAN is Korea’s second largest trading partner behind China. ASEAN and South Korea have 

become important partners in the field of economic cooperation that includes commerce, investment, and 

construction contracts.