Korean President Moon Jae-in was to leave for Singapore on 13 November for annual summits with ASEAN nations and their dialogue partners as he strives to bolster relations with the region and drum up international support for his initiative for peace with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Korean President Moon Jae-in (Photo: Yonhap)

During the three-day visit to Singapore, Moon is scheduled to attend three annual summits hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely the 20^th Republic of Korea-ASEAN Summit, the 21^st ASEAN Plus Three Summit also involving China and Japan, and the 13^th East Asia Summit (EAS).

While in Singapore, Moon also plans to attend regional free trade talks, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), involving the 10 ASEAN nations, the Republic of Korea (RoK), China, Japan, Australia, India and New Zealand, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Korean President is expected to propose holding a special RoK-ASEAN summit next year to further solidify relations with the Southeast Asian nations under his "new southward policy."

He is also scheduled to host a separate summit between the RoK and the Mekong River countries of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Viet Nam and Thailand.

Singapore is the first leg of Moon's six-day trip that will also take him to Papua New Guinea where he will attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on 17 and 18 November.

During the APEC meeting, Moon plans to outline his vision for an innovative and inclusive nation and propose creating a joint fund, the APEC Digital Innovation Fund, aimed at improving the region's digital capabilities.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN and APEC summits, Moon also plans to hold a series of one-on-one meetings with other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Vice President Mike Pence, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The RoK’s leader is expected to use these bilateral meetings to exchange information on the DPRK’s denuclearization negotiations and ask for support to move the peace efforts forward.

(Source: VNA)