Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has said South Korea will work more closely with Southeast Asian nations and the broader international community to combat growing transnational crimes in the region, such as online scams, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Cho made the call during the East Asia Summit, a regional gathering involving the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea, Japan, China, the United States and a few others in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, the ministry said in a release.
The EAS is held as part of the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings. Cho attended the EAS in place of President Lee Jae Myung, who left Malaysia early to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in South Korea's Gyeongju.
Cho said that South Korea will enhance coordination with ASEANAPOL, the regional body of Interpol in Southeast Asia and closely cooperate with EAS members and the international community to eradicate these crimes, the ministry said.
The participating states also expressed concerns over growing threats from online scams and other cyber crimes, underscoring the need for concerted efforts at the regional level.
At the meeting, Cho explained South Korea's peace initiatives toward North Korea, which call for resuming exchanges and improving relations with Pyongyang, and asked for EAS members to support these efforts, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
