By Kim Ji-eun

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the ASEAN Summit, held his first meeting with Cambodia's new Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sept. 7. The President congratulated Prime Minister Hun Manet on his inauguration, and the two leaders expressed their hope for closer communication in the future.

During the meeting, the President exchanged views on ways to develop bilateral ties and requested Cambodia's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

The two leaders agreed to utilize the Korea-Cambodia FTA, which came into effect in December last year, and the MOU on Customs Mutual Assistance, signed in April this year, to further expand bilateral trade, which reached a record high of USD 1.05 billion last year.

The President urged Prime Minister Hun Manet to pay special attention to the expansion of Korean businesses in Cambodia. In response, Prime Minister Hun Manet said he would provide support for the mutually beneficial development of the two countries, and hoped to expand defense cooperation, manpower training and exchange, and trade in agricultural and livestock products.

The President emphasized that Cambodia is our largest development cooperation partner, and expressed his hope that the 'Korea-Cambodia Friendship Bridge', which is planned to be built in downtown Phnom Penh, will contribute to decentralizing traffic, improving logistics flow, and revitalizing the local economy. In response, Prime Minister Hun Manet praised the project as a monumental symbol of the development of bilateral relations.

The President emphasized that North Korea's repeated so-called "artificial satellite" launches in recent years are a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and asked for Prime Minister Hun Manet's interest and support in the international community's resolute response to North Korea's continued nuclear and missile development and provocations.

The President also requested Cambodia's support and cooperation in implementing the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI), which the Korean government has established as a regional policy specializing in ASEAN. 

In response, Prime Minister Hun Manet welcomed Korea's willingness to cooperate with ASEAN and said he would actively support and cooperate.