May 19, 2025 - Dr. Kyungjin Song participated as the moderator for the panel discussion at the 1st ASEAN-ROK Think-tank Dialogue on Economic and Trade Policy (AKTD) Conference, held on May 14 in Jeju, Korea. The conference was co-hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), bringing together over 100 participants from think tanks across Korea and the ten ASEAN member countries. Attendees also included representatives from The Asia Foundation, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Yonsei University, and the Korea-Southeast Asia Policy Cooperation Center.

Dr. Song moderated a panel session titled "Expanding ASEAN-ROK Economic Cooperation," which featured in-depth discussions among panelists, including Mr. Ahmad Zafarullah, Director at the ASEAN Secretariat; Prof. Youngkyung Ko of Yonsei University; Dr. Youngho Lee of KIET; and Mr. Joon Park of KCCI.

The conference marked the first official policy dialogue, during which think tank leaders from Korea and all ten ASEAN countries gathered to explore directions for economic and trade cooperation. 

During the panel discussion she chaired, Dr. Song remarked that critical issues such as cooperation on the ASEAN Economic Community Vision 2045, Korea-ASEAN supply chain collaboration, and partnerships in digital transformation, and the promotion of digital economy should be appropriately reflected in the policymaking process of both ASEAN member states and Korea, as doing so would further advance cooperation for shared prosperity between the two partners.

Dr. Song also highlighted the importance of engaging not only governments and think tanks, but also the business and private sectors in these cooperative efforts. She welcomed this year’s ASEAN chair Malaysia’s offer to host the second AKTD conference this coming September and expressed hope that continued discussions through the AKTD will lead to tangible and impactful cooperation between ASEAN and Korea.

Photo credit: Secretariat of the ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Conference