South Korean President vows to step up cooperation with ASEAN to tackle transnational crimes

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 27 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that South Korea will step up cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to combat transnational crimes and prevent young people from falling victim to organized criminal networks in Southeast Asia.

Lee made the remarks during South Korea's summit with the regional bloc in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur amid growing concerns over online scam operations targeting Koreans following the torture and death of a Korean college student lured to a scam center in Cambodia.

"Organised criminal rings, such as scam centers, have been spreading across border areas where the rule of law is weak, and unfortunately many young people are becoming victims of transnational crime," Lee said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

He said the Korean National Police Agency will work closely with ASEANAPOL (ASEAN Police Chiefs) to eradicate these criminal hubs and ensure transnational crimes cannot take root in the region while expanding criminal justice cooperation both bilaterally and within ASEAN.

In his first attendance at the annual gathering since taking office in June, Lee also laid out Seoul's initiative to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) forged with ASEAN last year and proposed hosting a special Korea-ASEAN summit in 2029 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The "CSP vision," based on the initials of ASEAN's highest-level partnership framework, aims to position South Korea as a "contributor" for dreams and hope, a "springboard" for growth and innovation, and a "partner" for peace and stability, he said.

Under the initiative, Lee said South Korea seeks to expand reciprocal visits to 15 million people per year and raise annual bilateral trade to US$300 billion, while taking a more active role in combating transnational crimes, enhancing maritime security and supporting disaster relief to help ensure regional peace and stability.

To achieve the goal of the proposed annual trade volume, Lee said his government will seek to launch negotiations on expanding the scope of the free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN and forging deeper economic ties.

"I plan to propose an ambitious goal of achieving an annual trade volume of $300 billion between Korea and ASEAN, and launch negotiations to further upgrade the Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement," Lee wrote in a contribution to The Star, a Malaysian daily.

South Korea and ASEAN signed an FTA on the trade of goods in 2006, followed by subsequent agreements on services in 2007 and investment in 2009.

During the summit, Lee reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and asked for ASEAN's support for his government's North Korea policy, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.

"We will work to restore trust between the two Koreas, resume dialogue, expand exchanges and cooperation, and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Lee told the session, according to Kang.

ASEAN leaders expressed support for the Lee administration's policy, Kang said, expressing hope that such backing will be reflected in a joint statement.

--IANS

akl/as