The Justice Ministry has initiated discussions to achieve the goal of 15 million people exchanges agreed upon at the 26th Korea-ASEAN Summit last October.
On June 23, the ministry held a meeting with the ASEAN diplomatic corps in South Korea to review cooperation between Korea and ASEAN and discuss ways to expand people-to-people exchanges. The ASEAN diplomatic corps consists of ambassadors from 11 countries, including Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Brunei, and Singapore.
Cha Yong-ho, head of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau at the Justice Ministry, welcomed the attendees, stating, "The exchange of people is rapidly increasing through K-content and tourism, and the role of ASEAN youth is becoming more significant." He emphasized the need to broaden the scope of exchanges beyond tourism, education, and culture to include artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology.
ASEAN ambassadors reaffirmed that South Korea is an important partner for people-to-people exchanges and expressed agreement on the necessity of collaboration in various fields.
Both sides agreed on the importance of preventing illegal stays to ensure legal and safe movement of people, and they discussed mutual interests, including the protection of foreign workers' rights and the immigration and settlement of South Korean nationals residing in ASEAN countries.
A Justice Ministry official stated, "We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the ASEAN diplomatic corps on immigration and visa policies to promote mutual development with key countries and enhance the convenience of overseas travel and residence for our citizens and expatriates."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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