S. Korean president arrives in Malaysia on state visit

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 12, 2019, Yonhap. South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday to make a three-day state visit that will include a summit with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, reported the Yonhap.

Moon’s arrival here followed his three-day state visit to Brunei, where he and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah sought ways to boost their countries’ bilateral cooperation and exchange.

Moon is currently on a three-nation tour that will also take him to Cambodia. Both Malaysia and Cambodia, along with Brunei, are members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The South Korean president’s tour is partly aimed at enhancing his country’s bilateral relations with the three Southeast Asian countries as well as its ties with ASEAN.

South Korea is seeking to greatly improve its economic and diplomatic ties with ASEAN countries under its New Southern Policy that also targets India.

Moon has vowed to visit all 10 ASEAN countries before his five-year term ends in 2022. He is also scheduled to host a special summit later in the year involving the heads of all 10 ASEAN states to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea-ASEAN dialogue.

In Kuala Lumpur, the South Korean president will meet Sultan Abdullah of Pahang before holding a summit with the Malaysian prime minister.

He will wrap up his three-day state visit to Malaysia on Thursday to head for Cambodia, the third and last leg of his three-nation tour.