From 13 to 17 July 2019, 80 students from 13 regional countries visited Singapore for the second part of the 7th ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop. Organised by the Seoul-based ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), the first phase of the programme was held in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 8 to 13 July.
The opening ceremony to launch the workshop’s Singapore segment was held on 15 July at RSIS, where Amb Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, Amb Lee Hyuk, Secretary General of the AKC, and Amb Ahn Young-jip, Ambassador of the ROK to Singapore, gave opening remarks. RSIS was the local partner of the AKC for the Singapore segment of this workshop.
The three Ambassadors also held a dialogue session with students on the day. Amb Ong shared his views on Singapore’s place in ASEAN, focusing in particular on the country’s advantageous geographical location in Southeast Asia and the strength of its political leadership. In light of the upcoming ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan, ROK in November 2019 to mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations, Amb Ong suggested that cooperation could be enhanced in three areas, namely youth exchanges, smart cities, and ageing populations.
Amb Ahn agreed for the need to take a long-term view of the ASEAN-ROK partnership, while Amb Lee underscored the importance of concrete policy priorities to further nurture ties between the two countries. Amb Lee added that ROK President Moon Jae-in’s New Southern Policy is considered meaningful in both symbolic and practical terms.
Given that the workshop’s theme was “Sustainable Smart Cities: Moulding the Young Pioneers of Smart and Innovative Urban Solutions”, participants gained insights into Singapore’s development experience and smart nation goals through visits to the Social Innovation Park in Punggol and the Singapore City Gallery at the Urban Redevelopment Authority Centre. While at RSIS, the students also attended seminars by researchers and faculty members on topics such as Singapore’s smart nation initiative, the history of ASEAN, as well as the concept of sustainable development in Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2019.
