South Korea offers $167m in grants, loans to ASEAN
South Korea offers $167m in grants, loans to ASEAN
SINGAPORE (AFP): South Korean President Kim Dae-jung on
Saturday pledged US$150 million in loans and $17 million in
grants to ASEAN countries in an effort to build closer ties.
Kim detailed the offer in talks with the leaders of the 10-
member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, presidential
spokesman Kim Key-Man said.
The $150 million will form an Economic Development Cooperation
Fund to be used for long-term loans for projects in the
information technology (IT), telecommunications, water and
"social capital" sectors starting in 2001.
The $17 million will be for development grants to ASEAN
countries, he added without elaborating.
South Korea also offered IT training for 1,000 workers within
the ASEAN area and promised support for a vaccination program in
the region.
In addition, Seoul is willing to support a program for
repairing environmental damage in Southeast Asia and President
Kim asked ASEAN members for their cooperation, his spokesman said
without giving further details.
Kim Dae-Jung is further seeking more cultural, tourism and
educational exchanges and called for cooperation in such areas as
movies and the music and computer game industry, the spokesman
said.
The South Korean leader briefed his ASEAN counterparts on
"reconciliation and peace talks" between North and South Korea
and received support for his "sunshine policy" to bring Pyongyang
out from years of isolation.
For their part, the ASEAN leaders congratulated Kim for
winning this year's Nobel peace prize for his work in trying to
reconcile the two Koreas.
They expressed hope Kim's efforts would eventually result in
peaceful reunification, which they said in a statement would
contribute to the stability of East Asia.
Expressing support for the existing ASEAN-plus-three
arrangement, President Kim backed the idea of a study into
economic integration for the entire group.
"Kim Dae-Jung agreed with the necessity (of this) and hoped
this (unified) vision group would come true," his spokesman said.
ASEAN-plus-three refers to the annual meetings between the 10
ASEAN leaders and China, Japan and South Korea.
The South Korean president noted that while ASEAN countries
were rich in natural resources like petroleum and natural gas,
South Korea was lacking in these and was "seeking cooperation"
from ASEAN on secure supplies at "reasonable prices."
He also asked that South Korean firms take part in the ASEAN
plan to build a railway from Singapore to Malaysia, Indochina and
on to China.
To further contribute to regional integration, Kim president
proposed the 10 ASEAN countries join a sports exchange program
involving China, Japan and South Korea.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.