Good morning everyone,

I am very grateful to the Honorable Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and the many distinguished scholars here for participating in this forum. I also thank all of you for joining us today.

As you know, East Asia is growing ever more important in the world today.

Korea, China and Japan as well as ASEAN account for 31 percent of the world population, 20 percent of GDP and 22 percent of trade.

If combined with the remaining members of the East Asia Summit—the United States, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand—East Asia can be said to be the pivotal region in global security and economy, indeed.

East Asia is now emerging as a linchpin in the international order, which is in the process of being reshaped. The vision of East Asia will play a crucial role not only for regional peace and prosperity but also for the future of the international community.

I believe it is very meaningful to discuss “East Asia in the World” in the forum today.

There is a greater variety of cultures, ethnicities and religions coexisting in East Asia than in any other region. Unlike Europe and North America with a dominant religion and similar cultures, East Asia can be said to be very diverse. It is, thus, imperative for us to respect and understand these differences because there are also great differences in political and economic development. 

Several government-level multilateral forums such as APEC, ASEAN+3 and ARF have thus far steadily sought ways to promote cooperation in East Asia. In particular, it is very significant that the 10 members of ASEAN reached an agreement on the goal of regional integration by 2015.

East Asia is now faced with the tasks of taking peace and prosperity in the region to new heights through more mature regional cooperation. Taking it a step further, it will be necessary to have serious discussions on what responsible roles should be taken in addressing global issues.

Today, I want to speak with you about the direction of cooperation and several tasks we need to consider in discussing the topic of “Visions and Challenges in the Quest for an East Asian Community.”

Distinguished guests,

I am convinced that democracy can be a common political asset for the future of East Asia.

Democracy can be said to have made the greatest contribution to the freedom and prosperity of humanity. The reality is, however, that these days, there are still many other peoples throughout the world who have a great yearning for democracy. It is vividly attested to by the fact that public demands for political reform, which recently erupted in Tunisia and Egypt, have spread to most other regions in the Middle East. In addition, this heralds the much faster development of democracy in the era of global telecommunications, which is characterized by speed and change.

In the global information era of the 21st century, it is increasingly difficult for a prolonged dictatorship to continue.

Democratic governments respect human rights and are transparent, clean and trustworthy. Democracy can serve as a staunch foundation for confidence and cooperation among nations. And for this very reason, democracy is pivotal in our quest for an East Asian Community.

Regional cooperation in East Asia has so far consistently expanded in a bid to advance democracy. The countries in the region have established a working group on regional cooperation in the Community of Democracies, which has a membership of some 130 nations worldwide. As part of regional efforts, the Asia-Pacific Democracy Partnership was set up separately with the aim of furthering democracy.

Korea now serves as the cochair of the working group on regional cooperation in the Community of Democracies and holds the chairmanship of the Asia-Pacific Democracy Partnership.

Distinguished guests,

It is also of overriding importance to ease economic imbalances among nations in our efforts to promote the development of an East Asian Community. This is because intra-regional economic disparities make it difficult to realize genuine integration, as is also true within a single nation.

It is also of overriding importance to ease economic imbalances among nations in our efforts to promote the development of an East Asian Community. This is because intra-regional economic disparities make it difficult to realize genuine integration, as is also true within a single nation.

Notably, tackling poverty and endeavoring to seek shared growth will become an important key to driving the progress of democracy in the East Asian region.

On the occasion of the G20 Seoul Summit held in November last year, Korea became the first country in the world to put forth development issues as an agenda topic and wrote action plans to that end into the joint communiqué.

Economic growth in developing nations is very significant in that it provides a growth engine for the global economy. Development assistance for developing nations has so far remained focused on social development issues, including human rights, the treatment of diseases and sanitation. Breaking from the past practices, however, the top priority now has to be placed on building up the abilities of these nations to address their problems on their own initiative. Such endeavors have to be combined with bold investments in infrastructure as well as the application of development know-how befitting each different nation in the region.

In a bid to put the G20 development agenda into practice at the Asian level, the Republic of Korea launched the Asian Development Cooperation Meeting in November 2010 to discuss ways for regional donor countries to cooperate.

In addition, Korea will increase official development assistance and continuously make great endeavors to seek development cooperation and types of assistance that meet the needs of recipient countries, taking their development experiences into account. The Republic will also not spare any effort to study how to assist in the establishment of democratic governance. 

Discussions on these topics will continue at the G20 Summit to be held in November in Cannes, France.

The shortcut to common prosperity and the establishment of a regional community in East Asia is to expand free trade through market opening. In the global market where it is impossible for anyone to single-handedly fare well, we are all well advised to seek economic growth and coexistence on the strength of international exchanges.

The starting point for regional collaboration to establish an East Asian Community is to carry out a study of the feasibility of an FTA to create a regional trade community. As of now, discussions are going on about how to realize inclusive, regional economic integration: an East Asian FTA among ASEAN+3 or a Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia among ASEAN+6.

Needless to say, each different nation is faced with a different domestic situation, and thus, increased mutual understanding and collaboration are needed to further promote free trade. Economic integration, which clears away barriers to trade in goods and services and allows capital, people and even knowledge to flow in an unrestrained manner, promises enormous benefits to all. FTAs are conducive not only to the economic prosperity of the nations involved but also to the improvement of the quality of life of general consumers.

Over the past three years, the Korean Government has concluded FTAs with the United States, EU, India, ASEAN and Peru, thereby entering into an economic union with a total of 45 countries. The policy of building a global FTA network, which is openly advocated by Korea, is based on an unwavering conviction that trading nations with open-door policies can realize common prosperity together.

If Korea concludes FTAs with China and Japan, it would help advance a community among Korea, China and Japan as well as guarantee a new paradigm of collaboration in East Asia. At the Korea-China-Japan Summit held last May on Jeju Island, the leaders of the three nations adopted a document outlining a vision for tripartite partnership for the coming decade.

Accordingly, the three countries will accelerate efforts to engage in FTA negotiations, collaborate in sustainable development and corresponding climate change measures, and expand people-to-people exchanges.

Furthermore, as Korea, China and Japan escalate economic cooperation with ASEAN members, the horizons of the projected East Asian Economic Community will be broadened.

This year, a Korea-China-Japan Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat will be established in Seoul, thereby lending impetus to economic collaboration among the three countries.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Now I would like to discuss a difficult subject of crucial importance, which is security cooperation in East Asia.

Security cooperation is the most important indicator of mutual confidence among countries. First and foremost, security cooperation assures international peace while stimulating economic collaboration.

During the 20th century, nations in East Asia endeavored strenuously to enhance reconciliation and cooperation in order to overcome a history of war and colonialism. In spite of such efforts, the arms race in East Asia is more intense than in any other region in the world. There still remain elements of instability involving history, territory and territorial waters.

More than anything else, concerns about North Korea’s persistent nuclear weapons development go beyond an inter-Korean security issue. It is a grave threat not only to peace in Northeast Asia but also the non-proliferation regime of the international society.

Today, Korea remains the only country still divided by Cold War rivalries. Unless the remains of the past are removed from the Korean Peninsula, genuine multilateral security cooperation cannot be anticipated in Northeast Asia. It is imperative that the North dismantle its nuclear arsenal and take the path of openness and development as China and Vietnam have done. That is the only alternative that Pyongyang can take for its own sake.

It is crucial that the two Koreas put an end to the military face-off, and instead collaborate to establish a peace regime and build an economic community, laying a firm foundation for eventual reunification. This will, in turn, benefit all the neighboring countries and create a new “blue ocean” linking the Pacific and the continent conducive to common prosperity in East Asia.

The time has passed when countries could choose to confront each other based on ideology and political system or divide into groups and oppose each other. Imperialism under which war and colonization created wealth is long gone. It is about time nations in the East Asian region sought the well-being and happiness of all people and extended the realm of human security.

The 21st century is faced with the menace of terrorism, cross-border crimes, new diseases and natural disasters. We should tackle these and other problems affecting humanity and the environment in a comprehensive manner. I hope that NGOs, professional groups and all other private sector groups, as well as governments will delve into security cooperation in East Asia and jointly cope with supranational security issues effectively.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The limitless potential that the future holds for East Asia gives us new opportunities and requires that we play new roles. And yet, no single country can resolve the many issues by itself, whether they involve the economy or security. All parties concerned should join forces and be held accountable for the results.

In just one generation’s time, Korea turned itself from a recipient to a donor country. In the process, the Republic was accorded warm international support and cooperation, which was a major factor for its success. For this reason, the “Global Korea” initiative puts emphasis on helping countries in need, while contributing proactively to the peace and prosperity of all peoples.

I urge all of you present here today to continue to give a special attention to the afore-mentioned tasks that East Asia must carry out in the 21st century.

I trust that your abundant expertise and professional knowledge will add great momentum to the efforts of countries to eventually bring about a viable East Asian Community.

Once again, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all the participants. I am delighted to be able to attend the first session together with you all.

Thank you very much.