Kuala Lumpur highlights ASEAN-Korea ties on National Day
South Korea and Malaysia should seek to elevate ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership as the two countries expand defense cooperation and move toward signing a free trade agreement, Malaysian Ambassador to Korea Mohd Zamruni Khalid said Monday.
“Perhaps the time is right for us to consider taking our bilateral relationship a step further and elevating it to a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Khalid said at National Day celebrations in Seoul.
The two countries established a strategic partnership, with nearly $28 billion in trade, an FTA nearing signature and Malaysia's purchase of Korean-made FA-50 jets giving the relationship greater economic and security weight.
Khalid said he hoped the free trade agreement, negotiations for which concluded last year, could be signed by the end of this year and take effect soon afterward.
Trade between the two countries has topped $20 billion annually for the past five years and reached nearly $28 billion in 2025, he said. As of July, Malaysia was South Korea's sixth-largest trading partner.
Korean investment in Malaysia has reached $12.4 billion across more than 400 projects and created nearly 50,000 jobs, according to Khalid.
“Our economic relationship is already significant, and this has been achieved even before the Malaysia-Korea Free Trade Agreement comes into force,” he said.
The two countries are also looking to semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital technology, future mobility, green energy and advanced manufacturing for further cooperation.
Wider ASEAN dimension
Khalid said a South Korean special envoy's visit to Malaysia last year signals President Lee Jae Myung's intention to strengthen ties with both Malaysia and ASEAN.
Lee and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025 and again at the APEC Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the following month.
Nam In-soon, deputy speaker of South Korea's National Assembly and president of the Korea-Malaysia Parliamentary Friendship Group, led Lee's special envoy delegation to Malaysia in July last year.
She said Korea-Malaysia ties had expanded beyond traditional diplomacy and trade into defense and emerging industries.
Taken together, the contacts place Malaysia-Korea ties within Seoul's wider engagement with ASEAN, while the FTA and defense deals give a growing economic and security dimension to the relationship.
Malaysia is due to receive the first two Korean-made FA-50 light combat aircraft in October, part of its acquisition of 18 jets from Korea Aerospace Industries.
Khalid called the delivery “another important milestone” in defense and aerospace ties.
About 558,000 South Koreans visited Malaysia last year, making South Korea the country's eighth-largest source of international visitors, Khalid said.
Malaysia hopes to attract more Korean travelers through its Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign.
Khairul Muzammil, a Malaysian working in Seoul for CAE flight and simulator services, said the National Day gathering gave Malaysians a chance to reconnect while introducing their country to Koreans.
“It is basically all about people,” Muzammil told The Korea Herald.
Jenny Lim, CEO of Correlation, a Seoul-based company involved in international cooperation, said attending the event drew her attention to areas where the two countries' interests overlap.
“I realized that Korea and Malaysia have many areas where their interests overlap, including AI, defense and education,” Lim told The Korea Herald.
Khalid said connections between ordinary people were ultimately as important as government agreements.
“The strongest bilateral relationship is not built only in government offices or through agreements,” he said. “It is built when people travel, study, work, eat, learn and create memories together.”
sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com
