President Moon Jae-in says he hopes for in-depth discussions about peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula with Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) leaders during an upcoming regional summit in Busan.

The president relayed the position in an op-ed published Monday by the Asia News Network(ANN) a week ahead of the two-day ASEAN-South Korea Commemorative Summit. 

Moon in the contribution said that peace on the peninsula is closely linked to stability throughout East Asia and that he believes ASEAN member states will join in the journey toward establishing permanent peace on the peninsula as "reliable friends and advisers."

The president said that critical junctures for peace still remain, adding he is looking forward to in-depth discussions about peace throughout East Asia at the upcoming summit. 

Last year, ANN, a coalition of two dozen major news organizations based in South Korea and 20 other Asian nations, named President Moon the Person of the Year for 2018.