"Korea-ASEAN Forum 2026" to Be Held, Opening New Horizons for Security and Peace Cooperation

Geopolitics Insight Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the ASEAN Center at Korea University's Asiatic Research Institute (KUAC), will hold the Korea-ASEAN Forum 2026 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore on November 6.

Under the theme "CSP Development Vision and Peace on the Korean Peninsula," the forum will bring together policy and academic experts from Korea and ASEAN to discuss ways to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and cooperate on peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In 2024, the 35th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between Korea and ASEAN, the two sides upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), their highest level of cooperation. At the Korea-ASEAN Summit held in Malaysia in October 2025, Korea announced a three-part vision for advancing the CSP: to be a "trusted partner helping ASEAN realize its dreams and aspirations," a "springboard for growth and innovation," and a "partner for peace and stability." The vision sets out policy directions for deepening cooperation and producing tangible results ahead of the 40th anniversary of Korea-ASEAN dialogue relations in 2029.

The forum will focus on identifying practical ways to implement this CSP development vision. It will discuss expanding Korea-ASEAN cooperation, which has so far developed mainly in the economic and sociocultural fields, into politics and security, and consider the roles Korea and ASEAN can play in promoting regional peace and stability. In particular, it will closely examine ASEAN's role and potential for cooperation in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula and phased denuclearization.

By bringing together a specialized think tank and academia to examine local policy trends and security dynamics, the forum is also expected to provide valuable strategic insights for companies seeking to enter ASEAN markets and stabilize their supply chains.

The forum will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Singapore local time and will consist of a keynote address and two presentation and discussion sessions. Around 30 to 40 foreign policy, security, and regional studies experts are expected to attend, including 15 prominent speakers from five countries: Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

The forum will open with a keynote address by Ambassador Lawrence Anderson, a former ambassador and senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The first session, titled "Korea-ASEAN Cooperation to Implement the CSP Development Vision," will be chaired by Seo Jeongin, head of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea and former ambassador to the ASEAN Republic of Korea Mission. Presenters will include Park Minjeong, research professor at the Center for ASEAN and Indian Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy; Kang Junmo, research fellow at the LG Management Research Institute; and Sarah Teo, assistant professor at RSIS, Nanyang Technological University. Discussants will include Maitrii Aung-Thwin, deputy director of the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National University of Singapore; Lee Chung-yul, professor emeritus at Korea University; and Phongphisoot Busbarat, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

The second session will take an in-depth look at "Korea-ASEAN Cooperation for Peace on the Korean Peninsula." Shin Jaehyuk, professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University and president of Geopolitics Insight, will chair the session. Presenters will include Lee Jaehyun, senior research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies; Victor Andres "Dindo" C. Manhit, founder and CEO of the Stratbase Institute in the Philippines; and Seksan Anantasirikiat, senior research fellow at Thailand's International Studies Center (ISC). Discussants will include Kim Hyungjong, director of the Southeast Asia Center at the Seoul National University Asia Center; Park Jaehan, assistant professor at RSIS, Nanyang Technological University; and Muhammad Wafa Kharisma, research fellow at Indonesia's Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The forum is expected to provide a platform for foreign policy and security experts from Korea and ASEAN to examine specific tasks for implementing the CSP development vision and discuss policy directions for expanding political and security cooperation. It will be particularly significant in that experts from ASEAN will share their views and perspectives on peace on the Korean Peninsula and phased denuclearization, while participants explore opportunities for Korea-ASEAN cooperation to ease tensions and establish lasting peace on the peninsula.

Geopolitics Insight, the forum's organizer, plans to use the event as an opportunity to continue expanding exchanges and cooperation between policy and academic experts from Korea and ASEAN, and to promote policy dialogue and joint research to support the future development of Korea-ASEAN relations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.