JEJU, South Korea, May 31 (UPI) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Sunday to expand economic and diplomatic ties with South Korea, officials said.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made the announcement at the resort island of Jeju ahead of a special two-day summit between Seoul and the 10-member group, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
"President Lee and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan noted the Korea-ASEAN relations continuously improved over the 20 years since the dialogue partnership was established in 1989," a statement from Seoul's presidential office said.
The summit, to be held Monday and Tuesday, is expected to be highlighted by the signing of a free-trade agreement on investment, which the two Asian leaders noted in their statement, Yonhap reported.
"President Lee asked for the ASEAN secretariat's special attention to and support for the implementation of measures designed to increase cooperation between Korea and ASEAN that will be included in the joint statement of leaders at the special Korea-ASEAN summit," it said.
