South Korean Vice FM to Attend ASEAN Related Meetings in KL Next Week 

SEOUL, July 3 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon Joo will attend a series of high-level meetings involving the ten member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the United States and China in Malaysia next week, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Yonhap News Agency reported Park will make a three-day trip to Kuala Lumpur starting Wednesday to attend a series of ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings, including the South Korea-ASEAN, the ASEAN Plus Three with China and Japan, and the East Asia Summit involving Australia, India, New Zealand and the United States.

On the final day, Park will also take part in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which includes participants such as Canada, the European Union, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. North Korea is also a member of the ARF.

"Vice Minister Park will use the upcoming ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings to highlight the resilience of South Korea's democracy and the new administration's commitment to prioritizing ASEAN, while also discussing ways to bolster practical cooperation with the region," foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae Woong said in a press briefing.

Park is attending the meetings in place of the foreign minister, as South Korea has yet to formally appoint a new top diplomat.

The foreign minister nominee, Cho Hyun, is scheduled to undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing, but the date has not yet been announced.

It remains unclear whether Park will be able to hold any bilateral talks with top representatives of other participating countries, as such meetings that take place on the sidelines are typically held between officials of the same rank.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP