Anchor: President Moon Jae-in and his counterparts from five nations that share the Mekong River sought ways to deepen their cooperation during an inaugural summit held in Busan on Wednesday. In a joint declaration, the leaders agreed to bring about economic development and prosperity in the Mekong region, dubbed the "Miracle of the Mekong River," through lessons learned from South Korea's rapid economic development.
Choi You Sun has the details.

Report: The leaders of South Korea and five Southeast Asian countries sharing the Mekong River on Wednesday adopted a joint declaration seeking closer partnerships for synergy between Seoul's development experience and the Mekong region's growth potential.

They placed priority on seven sectors of cooperation -- culture and tourism, human resources development, agriculture and rural development, infrastructure, information and communication technology(ICT), environment and non-traditional security challenges.

Following the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit, President Moon Jae-in laid out a blueprint of the vision set forth between him and the leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean)]
"The Mekong [nations] and South Korea will share their experiences and move toward co-prosperity. The Korea Development Institute and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology were the cornerstones of South Korea's economic development. Based on this model, we decided to establish [similar] public research institutes in the Mekong nations and bolster cooperation in public administration. We will collectively respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and launch ICT-based projects in the areas of education, new growth industries and forestry conservation, while jointly fostering innovative personnel for the future." 

Seoul agreed to support the Mekong region's agricultural and rural development based on its own experiences, such as the Saemaul Movement from the 1970s, and promote regional connectivity through various infrastructure projects.

President Moon also highlighted the two sides' vision for achieving sustainable development based on the Mekong region's rich natural resources.

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean)]
"We agreed to more closely cooperate for sustainable prosperity. We will jointly handle basins surrounding the Mekong River and strengthen cooperation in biodiversity, water resources and forestry. Through a South Korea-Mekong biodiversity center set to be established in the region, we plan to preserve the Mekong's abundant biological resources and discover valuable biological resources to secure a new growth engine for the bio industry. The South Korea-Mekong water resources research center set to be established under Seoul's state-run K-water, will become the basis for safe and efficient use of the Mekong River's rich resources." 

The leaders also discussed Moon's peace efforts involving North Korea, where his Mekong counterparts reaffirmed their intent to work with Seoul in realizing complete denuclearization and the establishment of lasting peace on the peninsula.

The leaders designated 2021, which marks the tenth anniversary of their foreign ministers' dialogue, as a year to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The Mekong-South Korea summit meeting will also be held alongside a series of forums hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) every year.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.