The Republic of Korea (RoK) will implement its New Southern Policy with a determination to promote cooperation with the Mekong region, said RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Source: Yonhap/VNA)
Singapore (VNA) - The Republic of Korea (RoK) will implement its New Southern Policy with a determination to promote cooperation with the Mekong region, said RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
Speakingat the 8th Mekong-RoK Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Singapore onAugust 3 in the framework of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting andrelated meetings, Kang affirmed that her country will also increase officialdevelopment assistance (ODA) for ASEAN countries and funding for the Mekong-KoreaCooperation Fund (MKCF).
During the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue their cooperation to increaseconnectivity; narrow the development gap; improve the capacity for sustainabledevelopment.
They also focused their discussions on how to upgrade working mechanisms and onthe organisation of the first Mekong-RoK summit in 2019.
In his speech at the event, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterPham Binh Minh said that countries in the Mekong region and the RoK need tofoster cooperation in protecting the environment; effectively preventing andaddressing disasters in the Mekong River; sustainably managing the Mekong river’swater resources; and expanding collaboration with the Mekong River Commission.
He suggested the RoK share its experience in green development to promotesustainable development in the Mekong Sub-region or those related to education andhuman resources development in response to the 4th industrial revolution.
Minh underlined the necessity for the two sides to boost industrial link,especially in modern agricultural technology; and expand regional connectivitythrough developing international transport corridors and logistics systems,including the East-West Economic Corridor; the Southern Economic Corridor and theconstruction of a railway route from Vientiane, Laos, to Vung Ang port ofVietnam.
The RoK is one of the leading ODA providers for ASEAN member countries ingeneral and nations in the Mekong region in particular. In the 1987-2017 period,the RoK’s aid for the Mekong region accounted for 74 percent the country’stotal ODA for ASEAN.
In addition, the RoK Government also provided4.3 million USD for the MKCF in the 2013-2017 period.-VNA
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RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Source: Yonhap/VNA) 
