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Korea plays host to the leaders of Asia and Europe at the Third Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM3) to be held in Seoul Oct . 20th to 21st. Whether the topics broached are student exchanges, e-commerce or bringing North Korea out of its shell, this latest stage of the ASEM process looks set to bind the two regions in ever-deeper partnership  

At the end of August, 70 young people from Asia and Europe gathered for two weeks at a camp in Shandong Province, China to address issues of local deforestation and  environmental protection  in the Yellow River Valley  as well   as national heritage conservation   in the  area. The environmental project is part of the "Mother  River Protection Action" initiative of the Chinese  government, a project aiming to promote water and  soil conservation in more than 67,000 hectares of land in key  ecological areas, as well as to enhance sustainable development in the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys. A prime focus of the camp will be cultural interaction  between the young Europeans and Asians, to help underpin the cultural heritage conservation aspect of the program, and will include excursions to world cultural heritage sites in the local region.

Organized jointly with the All-China Youth Federation ( ACYF ), the Asia-Europe Youth Camp is but the latest  initiative of the Asia- Europe Foundation (ASEF).  A program of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), ASEF  was established Feb. 15th 1997 with the aim of promoting  contact between the civil societies of Asia and Europe and forging mutual understanding between the two regions.  

People-to-people interactions such as these, are just one  type of engagement between the two regions that the Third Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM3) is hoping to foster when the leaders of the 26 member states of the organization convene in Seoul, Oct. 20th to 21st. It is on the basis of contacts and cooperative efforts at a number of levels that the ASEM member nations are hoping to forge a commonality between Europe and Asia, regions separated by both history and geography.
 

He said while APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)  focuses on trade and investment liberalization, "ASEM promotes multifaceted cooperation between Europe and Asia. It quite new and still at an early stage of evolution."

ASEM has had a short but varied history. The result of an initiative by Singapore prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, ASEM1 was held in Bangkok in 1996 at the time the Asian economies were reaching their zenith and Europeans were anxious to participate in the "Pacific Century." The second ASEM held in London was completely overshadowed by economic turmoil in Asia, and in response to European hesitancy toward further engagement, Korean president Kim, Dae-jung successfully emphasized to the assembly the necessity of  assisting Asia in its time of difficulty.

"This [upcoming] ASEM is the third in the series and we  still have a long way to go laying the foundations according to the original formulation," said Amb. Yim, "so  this meeting is important in establishing the basis for  long-term."

ASEM's Three Pillars of Partnership

One of the prime functions of the meeting will be the  formulation of a document known as the Asia-Europe  Cooperative Framework (AECF), intended to conceptualize the future development of relations between the two regions. Amb . Yim said the AECF, "Will contain a vision on how the ASEM process should develop over the next 10 years." He  stressed  that while ASEM is an open dialog rather than a  negotiating process, ASEM3 will feature some topics for discussion  under the so-called "three pillars" of the organization:  politics  and security; economy and trade; and the promotion of  cultural and intellectual exchange.

Major subjects agreed on for discussion under the first two pillars include primarily regional security  issues, particularly the Korean peninsula arms issue and  the role of the UN; the new round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; and measures to prevent the recurrence of economic crisis in Asia.
 

Another  subject  Korea wishes to address at ASEM3 is the need  to bridge the "digital divide," i.e., the  information technology gap between developed and developing countries. Amb. Yim said Korea is looking to benefit from hosting  ASEM3 in a number of areas.

"This will be the biggest international leaders' meeting to be held in Korea for 50 years. By holding  it successfully we can promote Korea's diplomatic status," he  said. "The president's visit to Pyongyang in June laid a strong foundation for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and we want to utilize the opportunity to muster strong support from all ASEM countries on the Korean question." Meanwhile, "There will be opportunity during  the meeting for all member countries to show strong support for President Kim's peace initiative,"  said Amb. Yim. Also, he said Korea would use the forum to discuss ways of further "Drawing the North out of its isolation, and  helping it become a responsible member of the international  community." Korea will also focus discussion on ways of helping the North join the major international organizations, especially those geared to assistance such as the Asian Development Bank (ABD), the World Bank, and  the International Monetary Fund. ASEM will also serve as a showcase for Korea's prowess in the IT industry at the Technogarden 2000" to be held at the COEX, as well as its culture and traditions.

A New Skyline to Match a New Relationship 

New facilities built in southern Seoul to host ASEM3 underscore a partnership in the making between Asia and Europe

The skyline of Samsung-dong, Seoul's premier international business district has undergone some radical changes over the past three years, the result of intensive efforts to provide a venue for the Third Asia-Europe Meeting which will lay the groundwork for a new relationship between the two regions.

A huge construction project in the 50-acre World Trade Center Seoul (WTCS) was finally realized in  May this year with the extension of the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) and the construction of the 41-story New Tower to compliment the WTCS's existing 55 -story Main Tower. A private project, the 630-room COEX Inter-Continental Seoul hotel stands  29 stories high alongside the new COEX, which has been dubbed the "ASEM Convention Center" for the duration of the meeting.
 

It also has a state-of-the-art business/press center to offer efficient administrative and communicative support for exhibitors and conference participants.

Beneath the vast convention center extends the 85,000- square meter COEX Plaza, a shopping and entertainment complex that includes a  17-screen cineplex, brand-name fashion stores, two international food courts, restaurants, snack bars and what must currently be Seoul's biggest crowd-drawer, an aquarium.

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) which  owns the COEX and is responsible for its operation oversaw construction of the project. The construction of so large a project in less than three years is unusual by Korean standards. The feat was achieved by the  project being "fast-tracked" to meet the October 2000 deadline for ASEM3 once Korea had agreed to host the event following ASEM1 held in Bangkok in 1996.

While the Third Asia-Europe Meeting will be held  for just two days in October, the ASEM COEX and its associated developments represent a commitment by Korea on behalf of its Asian ASEM partners to the new, evolving partnership with Europe and a place to do  business together in the future.

"Most leaders will be visiting Korea for the first time  and we want to show them what Korean history and people are  all  about," he said. With Korea to be the site of two major attractions over the next two years - Visit Korea Year 2001 and the World Cup  in 2002 (see "Interview", ASEM3 will also be a superb  opportunity to promote national tourism.
 

EU Involvement in Trade,  North Korea

Luc Vandebon, minister counselor and charge d'affaires at  the Delegation of the European Commission in Seoul, said  that following the enthusiasm which accompanied ASEM1 and  the crisis-dominated ASEM2, he anticipates ASEM3 will be  of a different nature. "it's going to be far more comprehensive and consolidation-oriented, mapping out the areas we want to go in," he said. "From the European  side, " explained Mr. Vandebon, "we want to make it clear we  believe the other two pillars of ASEM, culture and politics , to be as  important as the pillar concerning trade and economy."

Europe is involved politically in the Korean Peninsula in two major areas: the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) light-water nuclear power reactor project in North Korea: and direct aid to the North.  

 "The European Union joined the KEDO project in September   1997, which means we're committed to working on nuclear non-proliferation in the region," he said. "Also, we're involved in humanitarian aid to the North; since 1995, the EU has provided 180 million euros worth of humanitarian aid." Mr. Vandebon stressed that "Although the EU is not a major player [in the region], given its influence, we  have  to attend to our political responsibilities."

Mr. Vandebon said the EU also focuses on human  rights . "We don't want to say European values are better, but there are some basic human rights, e.g., the right not to  be tortured, the right to free speech that are not bound  to a region."

While ASEM3 may place less emphasis on trade and economic matters than its predecessors the record of the  organization has been impressive in this regard.

At the first ASEM Senior Officials's Meeting on Trade and  Investment (SOMTI) in Brussels July 25th 1996, it  was agreed to establish the ASEM Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP). Its aim, inter alia, was to reduce non-tariff  barriers (NTBS) and promote trade opportunities between the two regions while complementing work being carried out in bilateral and multilateral fora such as the WTO, which concentrates on reducing tariff barriers.

In addition, ASEM launched the Asia-Europe Investment Action Plan (IPAP), an Internet initiative which aims to promote two-way investment flows by enhancing the transparency of members' investment regimes. Specifically, it provides direct access to each of the  ASEM members' investment promotion Web sites. "IPAP is an attempt to make it easier for the ASEM partners to invest in each other by providing as detailed information as possible on  individual investment conditions," said Mr. Vandebon  

The most significant trade-oriented initiative associated  with the ASEM process was the support given by Europe to  Asia during ASEM2 in London. "From the European side we  reassured the Asian members we would be supportive and  that we would keep our markets open," said Mr. Vandebon. "We  kept our promise even though it resulted in a trade imbalance."

He pointed out also that European financial institutions lend far more to Asia than their American or Japanese counterparts.

There are two continuing legacies of that time of crisis. The ASEM Trust was set up in 1998 to tackle the roots the crisis by providing high-quality, emergency expertise to help governments design reform proposals and get their  investment frameworks to the point where large-scale  financing and recovery projects will work quickly and effectively. The other is the EFEX Network, a network of  EU financial experts who can be consulted by whoever in Asia  needs financial expertise.

"Both programs have been very well patronized. Now ASEM3  will try to focus on all three pillars of the  organization," Mr. Vandebon said.

Who has priority in the elevator?¡±

 Organizing ASEM3 is an exercise in juggling
protocol and  logistics

It's the biggest diplomatic event held in Korea. No wonder  that the Korean organizers of ASEM3 are rising to the challenge with a massive organizational effort to ensure  the event runs smoothly and that the final result will be a credit to the country.

For example, accreditation must be organized for the over  1,500 journalists, representing both the international  and  Korean media that are expected to attend. However, the  biggest challenge is the hosting of the 26 delegations of the ASEM countries. Each led by a head of state  accompanied by their and two ministers each, the delegations will number 150 in the case of France and over 200 in the case of Japan. The European Commission delegation headed by Commissioner Romano Prodi will number 26.

When Korea accepted to host ASEM3 in 1996, the government immediately established a special task force - the Office  for the Third Asia-Europe Meeting - to be led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT). Under its executive director, Amb. Yim Sung-joon, the office assembled 36 staffers from MOFAT and other ministries.  Its staff has risen to 70 since, mostly augmented by graduate  students serving as interns and will rise to 200 by the  time the meeting is underway. Working in conjunction with the European Commission, member governments, and the protocol division of MOFAT, the office is responsible for coordinating the security and logistics associated with ASEM3 while paying fastidious attention to protocol.

The office has the responsibility of organizing the associated cultural performances plus the ASEM3 opening and closing ceremonies at the meeting's venue, the Convention & Exhibition Center (COEX). It is also charged with organizing the interpretation services necessary to provide simultaneous translation of the 16 languages to be used in ASEM3. In this regard the Korean side will receive some assistance from the European Commission's Joint  Services, Interpretation and Conferences (JSIC) which will dispatch 40 interpreters to handle translation of the European languages.

To meet all the event's transportation needs within Seoul, the office will provide four hundred vehicles under sponsorship from four manufacturers. Besides Hyundai,they include European makers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. The move is an effort on the part of government to do more to open the local auto market to foreign models by enhancing their acceptability. Within the total auto requirement of the office, the demands of the delegations themselves are enormous: each delegation will be supplied  with five vehicles, including a limousine for the head of  state.

All 26 delegations arriving at or leaving from Kimpo  International Airport must be accorded strict protocol and taken to all scheduled meetings at the same time.

In order to reduce the volume of Seoul's traffic to ease the transit of the delegations through the city, the office is considering resorting to a strategy that proved  effective during the 1988 Olympics. During that period of  huge infusion of visitors from abroad, authorities allowed only those cars on the road on odd days of the week whose license plate numbers end in odd numbers. Conversely, on  even days, only those cars whose license plates ended in  even numbers were allowed.

Fear of being stuck in traffic prompted a rush by the  delegations to get accommodation in those hotels closest  to the COEX. Only two hotels, though, are on the site of  the  World Trade Center Seoul where the COEX is located - the  Grand and COEX Inter-Continentals. Six delegations were  eventually allotted to each. At the end of last year, a total of nine hotels were designated official ASEM hotels  on the basis of their proximity to the venue of the  meeting . Only two so designated were north of the Han River.

It was initially suggested that the heads of state of the  26 member countries be accommodated in one of the  Inter-Continentals, but problems of security and protocol arose immediately.

"If all the heads of state decided to go down to the  lobby  at the same time," asked one organizer, "who would have  priority in the elevator?"