Kuala lumpur: Southeast Asian economies and South Korea (ROK) must move their partnership beyond traditional economic indicators and focus on long-term strategic autonomy and digital resilience. The 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) and related meetings this week provide a valuable opportunity for ASEAN and South Korea to deepen both economic and strategic cooperation, a Malaysian security and diplomacy expert said.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin, affiliated with Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Centre for Media and Information Warfare Studies, emphasized that any expansion of ASEAN-ROK cooperation should remain rooted in ASEAN’s core principles of sovereignty, non-segregation, and balanced development across member states. He noted that ASEAN must not compromise its autonomy in the name of deeper cooperation and that all strategic engagements must align with ASEAN’s frameworks-political-security, socio-cultural, and economic communities-without weakening its institutional identity. This sentiment was shared while addressing the challenges posed by current global dynamics.
Noor Nirwandy further highlighted the importance of addressing human security gaps within lower-tier ASEAN economies, particularly in areas such as education parity, food security, and environmental awareness. He pointed out South Korea’s role in transferring knowledge and ethical values to uplift vulnerable populations through co-development programs. He stressed that the ASEAN non-segregation policy must be upheld to ensure prosperity, digital literacy, and health awareness reach the regional average across all member states.
He also emphasized that ASEAN’s image, visibility, and centrality must be safeguarded to prevent external manipulation or fragmentation. He suggested that ASEAN should present itself as a new middle-power bloc capable of engaging all major partners, including South Korea, on equal terms.
On the subject of regional security, Noor Nirwandy called on Seoul to intensify support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and refrain from unilateral strategies that bypass ASEAN mechanisms. The AOIP serves as ASEAN’s strategic framework to promote peace, stability, and inclusive cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, based on ASEAN centrality and international law. He asserted that South Korea must use its Indo-Pacific strategy to support ASEAN-led rule-of-law approaches, not replace them, as the stability of the region depends on ASEAN remaining a stabilizing force amidst geopolitical rivalries.
Looking ahead, he urged ASEAN and South Korea to establish joint institutions to tackle modern digital threats, including a permanent ASEAN forum of experts on cybersecurity, disinformation, and digital trust, supported by both public and private sectors. He concluded by advocating for strategic communication, fact-check systems, and media literacy training to resist information warfare, asserting that only through these measures can ASEAN and South Korea build durable trust and secure digital infrastructure. Noor Nirwandy added that co-training initiatives involving governments, civil society, and the private sector could position ASEAN-ROK cooperation as a global model for countering hybrid security threats.