KCS Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo speaks during the 20th Korea-ASAN customs consulting meeting in Korea Customs Service office, Seoul, June 5. Yonhap

Chiefs of customs agencies in Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed Wednesday to enhance cooperation on drug trafficking, cross-border crimes and a wide range of customs issues by using advanced technologies, Seoul's customs agency said.

The consensus was reached during the 20th Korea-ASEAN customs consultation meeting held via teleconferencing in the day, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).

The two sides agreed to launch joint crackdown on drug smuggling in earnest in response to surging illegal attempts recently and to fix details soon through working-level talks.

In 2023, Korea seized 734 kilograms of drugs before they entered the country and 279 kg of the total, or 39 percent, were from the ASEAN region.

The proportion came to 22 percent in 2019 and 20 percent in 2020 but soared to 44 percent in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to government data.

During the talks, the two sides also discussed how to manage and further advance their ongoing programs meant to develop the capabilities of customs agency officials in the Southeast Asian nations.

KCS Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo explained his agency's experiences of introducing artificial intelligence and other new technologies in handling customs-related affairs, and vowed to share such technologies and know-how with the ASEAN members.

"Korea will continue to strengthen relations with ASEAN in various customs affairs fields so as to create tangible results," Ko said.

The annual meeting was launched in 2005 for talks on pending issues on customs and other trade matters.

The 10 ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. (Yonhap)