1. Overview

President Park Geun-hye is scheduled to visit Bali, Indonesia October 6-8 to attend the 21st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. Following the visit to Indonesia, the President will fly to Brunei October 8-10 to attend the 16th Korea-ASEAN Summit and ASEAN+3 Summit as well as the 8th East Asia Summit.

President Park will also make a state visit to Indonesia October 10-12 at the invitation of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

2. Schedule and Expected Agenda Items

APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (October 7-8)

During the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held under the theme of "Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth," President Park will engage in discussions with the leaders of the 21 APEC member economies over such topics as APEC's role in strengthening the multilateral trading regime and APEC's vision for the region's connectivity as well as sustainable growth with equity. Following discussions, the President is expected to put forward Korea's stance on these issues.

President Park's official schedule for the meeting will begin on October 6 with her keynote speech to be delivered at the CEO Summit in the afternoon, where the participating heads of government as well as leaders in business, academia and journalism from the Asia-Pacific region will discuss the direction and prospects of the global economy.

On the next morning, President Park will attend the APEC Business Advisory Council and have discussions with other leaders about issues of major concern to business leaders in the region. During the working luncheon, she will take part in the discussion of such topics as sustainable growth with equity. At the first session of the Leaders' Meeting in the afternoon, she will be the first presenter on the topic of APEC's role in strengthening the multilateral trading system, which will be followed by discussions with the participating leaders.

On the morning of October 8, President Park will also participate in a dialogue with the leaders of Pacific island countries, who have been invited by Indonesia, the chair of the APEC this year, and discuss with them sustainable growth and enhanced connectivity. At the second session of the Leaders' Meeting that will follow, President Park will join the participating leaders in discussing the vision of APEC connectivity and adopting the 2013 Leaders' Declaration that will conclude the meeting.

On the sidelines of the Leaders' Meeting, President Park plans to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of major countries. A more detailed schedule will be made public upon completing consultations with the countries in question.

Korea-ASEAN Summit (October 9)

Following the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, President Park will travel to Brunei to attend the 16th Korea-ASEAN Summit. There, she will have discussions with the leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries to work out measures to promote cooperation with a view to further expanding and upgrading the Korea-ASEAN strategic partnership.

President Park is expected to make note of the remarkable progress of Korea-ASEAN relations, which has been made possible through such efforts as the ASEAN-Korea Centre, the Korea-ASEAN FTA, the strategic partnership between Korea and ASEAN and the Korean mission to ASEAN. She will also have discussions with the ASEAN leaders to seek ways to put in place forward-looking Korea-ASEAN ties.

Considering that it is her first participation in this summit since her inauguration, President Park is anticipated to proactively express the Korean Government's readiness to strengthen its ASEAN policy and step up cooperation with ASEAN.

ASEAN+3 Summit (October 10)

On October 10, President Park will attend the 16th ASEAN+3 Summit where she will review the progress in the collaboration achieved through the ASEAN+3. The President is also expected to exchange ideas on the course of future development of the forum.

During the Summit, the President will express her evaluation that ASEAN+3 has emerged since its launch in 1997 as a well-established consultative body in East Asia that deals with matters in various areas, including international financial policy coordination and food security.

The President will also unveil ways to set the course of collaboration in the ASEAN+3 in the days to come.

East Asia Summit (October 10)

At the 8th East Asia Summit to be held on October 10, the President will discuss with other participating leaders ways to bolster regional cooperation in East Asia as well as other regional and global issues.

Following the admission of the United States and Russia to the EAS in 2011, the regional dialogue established itself as a strategic forum at which leaders of East Asia discussed pending issues in the region. At the upcoming Summit, the participating leaders are expected to have spirited discussions on many global issues, including food and energy security, climate change and the control of natural disasters and contagious diseases.

For her part, President Park will evaluate the role the EAS has played as a strategic forum. Among other things, the President is expected to highlight the necessity of united efforts in addressing such global challenges as climate change and natural disasters, considering that the two wreak significant havoc on countries in Asia.

On the sidelines of the Summit, President Park plans to hold bilateral meetings with heads of several leading nations. A detailed schedule will be made public as the consultations with countries concerned are finalized.

State Visit to Indonesia (October 10-12)

President Park will make a state visit to Indonesia at the invitation of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. During the visit, the President is scheduled to attend the Korea-Indonesia Business Investment Forum and a cultural event on October 11. On the next day, the two Presidents will hold their summit and state dinner, during which they will engage in discussions on a variety of issues concerning the evaluation of bilateral relations and ways to promote mutually beneficial economic collaboration; ways to enhance exchanges and collaboration in various areas, including society and culture; and how to work together in the region and in the international arena, including through the trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula.

By adopting the leaders' joint statement for the deepening and further progress of the strategic partnership between the two nations, the two Presidents will draw up a future-oriented, shared vision aimed at advancing bilateral relations to a higher level.

In addition, the President will sit together with the members of the Korean community and have a chance to listen to their difficulties and encourage them.

3. Significance of the Summits and State Visit as well as Expected Outcomes

APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting

APEC serves as a venue for policy coordination among countries in the Asia-Pacific region and is the biggest forum for facilitating cooperation in the region, which accounts for 57 percent of the global GDP and 48 percent of total international trade. The upcoming Leaders' Meeting to be held in Bali will become the first opportunity for President Park to engage in multilateral summit diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific.

At the Leaders' Meeting, President Park will emphasize the necessity of international cooperation for the sake of developing the multilateral trading system and advancing the Doha Development Agenda negotiations, all of which contribute to revitalizing world trade. She will also propose measures for strengthening connectivity among the economies within the region and express her commitment to the global priority of achieving sustainable growth with equity.

In addition, the President will have the opportunity to explain how Korea's strategy for a creative economy is being implemented when she attends the APEC CEO Summit, which will bring together approximately 1,200 of the region's key business leaders, including about 10 from Korea, and at the APEC Business Advisory Council. In this way, she will work to strengthen cooperation with business leaders for the recovery and growth of the world economy.

Through such varied activities, President Park will seek to solidify the global leadership Korea has exercised within APEC over the years and also continue to unfold sales diplomacy through bilateral summits with leaders of key countries.

Korea-ASEAN/ASEAN+3 Summits, East Asia Summit

Inasmuch as the upcoming ASEAN summits will be President Park's first since her inauguration, they are expected to serve as an arena for affirming the Korean Government's commitment to cooperating with ASEAN and also for building relations of trust with the heads of ASEAN member states.

It is also expected that the summits will be an opportunity to further strengthen the basis for economic cooperation with ASEAN, which, having become Korea's second biggest trading partner and top investment destination in 2012, is emerging as a key economic partner.

Furthermore, in light of the economic rise of East Asia and the growing momentum in regional cooperation, as evidenced by the participation of the United States and Russia in the East Asia Summit, it is anticipated that the President will be able to participate actively in advancing regional cooperation and also show her commitment to realizing a regional community.

State Visit to Indonesia

In addition to being the fourth most populous country in the world, not to mention a global production base boasting abundant energy and natural resources, Indonesia is drawing attention as a significant consumer market. The largest economy in Southeast Asia and the region's only G20 member country, Indonesia is to Korea a key friendly nation marked by the same democratic values and market economy, and the upcoming summit is therefore expected to be an opportunity to deepen and expand the practical cooperation between the two countries.

With a view to the goal of achieving shared growth on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation, President Park will carry out sales diplomacy on two key issues: upgrading Korea-Indonesia relations to the level of a comprehensive economic partnership and expanding Korean companies' investments in Indonesia as well as their participation in key infrastructure projects. In this way, bilateral economic cooperation is expected to expand, with substantive outcomes secured in investment, creative industries and defense industries.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Indonesia in a relationship that has seen rapid progress, including through the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2006. The upcoming state visit will be a chance to not only propose a new shared vision for the two countries to work toward over the next 40 years but also devise concrete measures for bringing shared prosperity and peace to East Asia.

* Source: CHEONG WA DAE