Crises and Opportunities of COVID-19 in ASEAN and a Winning Partnership between the ROK and ASEAN

Dr. CHOI Yoon Jung

Director,

The Center for ASEAN and Indian Studies,

The Sejong Institute

yjchoi@sejong.org

English Abstract

Cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) in ASEAN member states have passed 1.3 million, and now these countries are suffering from various difficulties including low economic growth and fiscal deterioration. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in several changes in the international system, such as aggravation of the U.S.-China hegemony competition, decline of multilateralism and the role of international organizations, intense prioritization of national interest and the worsening of protectionism, rapid contraction and shift of the GVC (Global Value Chain), and the full rise of digital economy. Such drastic changes propose fundamental challenges to ASEAN countries, but, at the same time, they suggest opportunities. This article aims to present policy implications for South Korea, which has set ASEAN countries as its key partner, to implement 3P (People, prosperity, Peace) strategy of the New Southern Policy amid the COVID-19 crisis.