Yoon arrives in Laos to attend ASEAN meetings

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Laos on Wednesday to participate in summits to be hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for discussions on economic and security cooperation with the regional bloc. His visit to Laos marks the final stop of his six-day tour of Southeast Asia, which also took him to Singapore and the Philippines. On Thursday, Yoon will attend the South Korea-ASEAN summit, during which South Korea will upgrade its relationship with the 10-nation regional bloc to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Discussions are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in areas such as security, the economy, technology, cyber security and clean energy. He will then take part in the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which will bring together Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. On the sidelines of the summit, Yoon will have his first me eting with Ishiba, who was on his first overseas trip since becoming the new Japanese prime minister last week. In addition, Yoon is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Laos, this year's chair country, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada and Australia, according to his office. On Friday, Yoon is scheduled to join the East Asia Summit, a regional security forum involving ASEAN members and eight other nations, including the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fill in for President Joe Biden, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend on behalf of Vladimir Putin at the summit. During the ASEAN meetings, Yoon plans to address the threats posed by North Korea, and seek support from ASEAN and other global leaders to warn against potential provocations, including a nuclear test or missile launches. Source: Yonhap News Agency