Journalists from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and South Korea convened to explore collaborative strategies and deepen mutual understanding across various sectors at the ASEAN-Korea Media Forum. Held on Jeju Island on Wednesday, the forum was a key highlight of the ASEAN-Korea Week 2025 events.
Following opening remarks by ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary-General Kim Jae-shin and Korea Press Foundation Executive Director Nam Jeong-ho, journalists were invited to share perspectives on the objective and proper role of media in covering pivotal topics impacting the regions.
In the inaugural session, “The future of the ASEAN-Korea comprehensive strategic partnership,” journalists representing Brunei, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea exchanged views on the importance of shared values and trust. They also emphasized the necessity of fostering greater understanding and connectivity to effectively strengthen the regional partnership.
The panelists further deliberated on prospective cooperative projects spanning diverse areas such as digital innovation, green energy and storytelling for digital natives.
The second session, “The future of the ASEAN-Korea cultural ties: K-culture as a bridge,” featured journalists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, who offered insights into the enthusiastic reception of Korean culture, including K-drama and K-pop, within their respective nations.
They also discussed effective approaches to addressing complex regional issues demanding cultural sensitivity, such as coverage of online scam operations targeting South Korean nationals, to ensure that reporting avoids generating biased perceptions or relying on sensationalized reporting.
The ASEAN-Korea Center and Korea Press Foundation jointly organized the forum, which took place at Parnas Hotel Jeju during ASEAN-Korea Week. The weeklong program started on Nov. 11 and runs through Nov. 16 across Seoul, Jeju Island and Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.
Officials from the AKC and Korea Press Foundation said that the forum was designed to proactively promote people-to-people ties, enhance cooperation and explore avenues for a sustainable partnership in the media sector between Southeast Asian nations and South Korea.
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)
khnews@heraldcorp.com
