East Asian forum to be launched Saturday

An intergovernmental forum to discuss measures for regional cooperation among East Asian nations and work out concrete joint programs will take place this weekend.

Officials in Seoul said Thursday that representatives of 13 countries, 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus South Korea, China and Japan, will gather in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Saturday to inaugurate the East Asia Study Group (EASG) and adopt rules on its organization, function and operations.

Four Korean representatives will attend the meeting, including assistant minister of foreign affairs and trade Yim Sung-Joon and councilor in charge of EASG Shin Kak-Su.

The group is the brainchild of President Kim Dae-Jung, who proposed the idea during the ASEAN+Three summit talks in Singapore last November. Working-level meetings of bureau chiefs of governmental departments and senior officials` meetings at the assistant minister level are to be held to prepare the agenda for the ASEAN+Three summit talks to promote economic, social and cultural cooperation in East Asia.

Boo Hyung-Kwon bookum90@donga.com