A senior foreign ministry official says he believes the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework(IPEF) will contribute to the region’s economic recovery and prosperity.
Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yeo Seung-bae made the remark on Wednesday when he attended a virtual meeting of senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and the so-called “Plus Three” nations of South Korea, China and Japan.
Yeo said the focus of Seoul’s foreign affairs policies is for South Korea to play a key role in the Indo-Pacific region.
He then stressed the need for close cooperation to make the ASEAN-Plus-Three the most effective consultative body in the region, citing that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the cooperative bloc.
Participants of Wednesday’s meeting called for the ASEAN-Plus-Three to make joint efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and disruptions in global supply chains through a five-year plan that the foreign ministers of the consultative body are aiming to adopt in August.
Source: KBS World Radio