President Yoon Suk Yeol holds hands with leaders of ASEAN member countries during the 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday. From left are Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister Moe Zaw Oo, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Yoon, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Indonesia's Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Yonhap

VIENTIANE, Laos — South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP), the highest level of diplomatic ties that ASEAN establishes with its dialogue partners.

This elevated level of cooperation was formalized when President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday. The summit took place alongside the 44th ASEAN Summit, chaired by Laos.

"Based on this highest level of partnership, South Korea and ASEAN will write a new chapter in the history of their shared future," Yoon said at the ASEAN-ROK Summit. "South Korea will continue its diplomacy that prioritizes ASEAN and will pursue all-encompassing and comprehensive cooperation as a partner for shared prosperity."

Before South Korea's inclusion, ASEAN had established CSPs with only five of its 11 dialogue partners: the U.S., China, Australia, India, and Japan.

The new level of relations also commemorates 35 years of dialogue ties between Seoul and ASEAN. The partnership aims to further enhance their decades-long cooperation across various sectors, including politics, defense, economics, and future-oriented environmental issues.

Under the newly elevated partnership, South Korea and ASEAN will enhance defense collaboration by establishing regular meetings between their defense ministers and coordinating efforts on issues concerning North Korea and its nuclear program.

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Vivian Balakrishnan, the foreign minister of Singapore, during his attendance at the 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday. Yonhap

Cooperation will also expand into future-oriented areas, including digital technology, electric vehicles, smart cities, and battery development. Efforts will focus on enhancing the free trade agreement between the two sides and strengthening economic security through supply chain partnerships. Additionally, there will be increased collaboration on climate change, environmental sustainability, and public health initiatives, including infectious disease response and vaccine distribution. Cooperation will also extend to ASEAN sub-regions, such as the Mekong and maritime Southeast Asia.

Additionally, South Korea will double the size of its cooperation funds allocated to ASEAN to $48 million by 2027, aimed at supporting key projects across the region.

"Since South Korea established dialogue relations with ASEAN in 1989, the two-way trade volume has marked a 23-fold increase, while investments grew by about 80 times and people-to-people exchanges, more than 37 times," Yoon highlighted.

In a joint statement issued after the summit, both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. This gesture is viewed as a way to check China, with which ASEAN has been experiencing territorial disputes.

In 2022, the Yoon administration introduced the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI), a key regional policy strategy centered on the ASEAN bloc. The president pledged to maintain comprehensive and multidimensional cooperation with ASEAN as a partner for shared prosperity, emphasizing KASI, which is now in its second year of implementation.

"The future of ASEAN, with its infinite potential for growth, is incredibly bright. The world is paying close attention to ASEAN's diversity, its young and vibrant population, and its abundant next-generation energy resources. South Korea will always stand alongside ASEAN as it continues to grow dynamically and achieve prosperity," he said.

ASEAN is one of the world's top five economic blocs and South Korea's second-largest trading partner. As one of South Korea's top three export markets, the South's outbound shipments to ASEAN reached $84.6 billion by September, a 6.6 percent increase from a year ago. More than 5,500 Korean companies currently operate in the ASEAN member states, contributing to job creation and economic growth in the region.