South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be embarking on a trip to three ASEAN countries starting from tomorrow.
His focus will be on strengthening Korea's cooperation with these nations,... as part of his New Southern Policy.
Shin Semin has more.
The president's first overseas trip of the year... begins with Southeast Asian nations.
Over a one-week period starting from Sunday March 10th, the president will be traveling to Brunei, Malaysia and Cambodia,... with hopes of boosting ties with ASEAN member states, in line with the South Korean leader's New Southern Policy.
"The president's overseas trip next week will be an opportunity to accelerate the New Southern Policy and diversify Korea's trade market and network of global production that's been concentrated in the U.S. and China."
From the 10th of March until the 12th,... the president will be in Brunei,... for a sitdown with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and a state dinner.
The president is expected to broaden existing cooperation on energy and infrastructure... while working to develop Brunei's patent system.
And the president could also lay the groundwork... for a successful hosting of the South Korea-ASEAN summit, scheduled for the end of this year.
The president's next stop is Malaysia,... the first visit to the country by a South Korean leader in 9 years.
He will be attending an official welcoming ceremony and a state banquet upon his arrival.
It is expected that the leader will work on upgrading their current relations to a more future-oriented partnership,... and cooperate on future technologies such as artificial intelligence and smart cities.
And the president will wrap up his three-nation tour in Cambodia,... where he will be greeted by King Norodom Sihamoni, the Prime Minister and Korean nationals living in the country.
During his stay there, the president will work on expanding bilateral ties in infrastructure, finance and agriculture.
"The president's pivot to ASEAN is looking to get a boost through the week-long overseas visit.
It is hoped the trip will be an opportunity to lay the foundation for constructive bilateral and multilateral meetings lined up this year,... such as the South Korea-ASEAN Summit and the first Korea-Mekong Summit.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News."