91ɫ��Ƭ

Summary

Amid shifting global dynamics following the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea launched the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) at the 2022 ASEAN-ROK Summit to deepen strategic cooperation. KASI spans eight priority areas—security, defense, economic stability, trade, climate action, digital transformation, public health, and cultural exchange—with both sides aiming to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by 2024.

This push reflects broader post-pandemic imperatives: building a resilient, inclusive economic order and a security alliance grounded in shared values. Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy, developed with allies, positions ASEAN cooperation as central to counterbalancing regional hegemonic pressures.

Within East Asia's complex mix of cooperation and competition, Korea, China, and Japan all vie for influence through ASEAN partnerships. As China's regional dominance grows, ASEAN seeks balanced engagement, and Korea—recognizing ASEAN as its second-largest trade partner and third-largest investment destination—prioritizes deeper, future-oriented ties, potentially extending into diplomatic and security cooperation.

Sustaining this partnership requires stronger private-sector and inter-ministerial collaboration, plus institutionalized policy dialogue among officials, researchers, and stakeholders. The 2024 KACPE International Public Policy Symposium, organized by 91ɫ��Ƭ's Korea Research Initiatives since 2012 and formalized as KACPE in 2019, serves this goal—convening senior officials and experts to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across KASI's eight pillars.

Summary

Digital technology has increasingly reshaped governance worldwide, enhancing public services, policy design, and stakeholder collaboration while boosting transparency and accountability. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, pushing governments and institutions toward rapid digital adoption.

Several countries illustrate the transformative potential of digital governance: Estonia's e-government infrastructure has generated substantial GDP savings and workforce efficiencies; Singapore's digital economy now constitutes a major share of national GDP; India has dramatically compressed its development timeline through Digital Public Infrastructure; and China has advanced poverty reduction via digital inclusive finance. South Korea, meanwhile, has leveraged high-tech, export-driven strategies to become a global digital transformation leader.

ASEAN's digital economy is also expanding rapidly, with Indonesia—the region's largest economy—leading in digital market value, projected to grow substantially by 2030.

This paper examines digital transformation trajectories in Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, analyzing policy frameworks, governmental roles, and country-specific challenges. Building on these case studies, it identifies opportunities for Korea-ASEAN cooperation—particularly knowledge transfer, capacity building, and joint initiatives—and evaluates the feasibility of a sustainable collaborative framework encompassing joint research and shared best practices to drive regional economic and social development.

Summary

2024 marks a significant milestone for ASEAN-South Korea relations, celebrating 35 years of dialogue partnership and 15 years since the ASEAN-Korea FTA. This anniversary offers an opportunity to assess progress and identify new avenues for cooperation, particularly in higher education, building on their 2010 strategic partnership.

Over three decades, the relationship has expanded significantly through initiatives such as the New Southern Policy and the 2017 “ASEAN-Korea Future Community Vision,” alongside the establishment of the ASEAN Center, which elevated ASEAN's role in Korean foreign policy. President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2022 Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) further reinforced this commitment, laying groundwork for deeper educational collaboration.

This paper reviews the current state of ASEAN-Korea higher education cooperation, tracing key milestones and emphasizing the need for harmonization, complementarity, and shared growth in educational partnerships. It first examines Korea's broader diplomatic, economic, and socio-cultural engagement with ASEAN, then presents case studies from universities in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Myanmar to illustrate practical challenges and opportunities. The paper concludes by recommending that both sides re-evaluate their strategic partnership considering evolving global and regional dynamics, charting a path toward more comprehensive and mutually beneficial higher education cooperation.