PENANG, 28 January 2013 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today is proud to be given the honour to host the Korea-ASEAN Academic Conference this year, organised by the Korean Association of Southeast Asian Studies (KASEAS) in collaboration with the ASEAN University Network (AUN).

The conference, with the theme “Non-Traditional Human Security and Securitization in East Asia: Regional Dynamics and National Differences”, will focus on the various issues related to human security that are increasingly gaining wide attention in academic circles in Korea and ASEAN countries, seeking to enhance regional cooperation especially in the field of academic mobility and human resource development.

In her welcoming speech, AUN Executive Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nantana Gajaseni, said: “We sincerely hope that the bilateral relations and cooperation between ASEAN and Korea that has long existed be further strengthened with a more active exchange of students, academics and intellectuals between ASEAN and Korea.”

“To achieve this, there must be a mechanism and more precise guidelines on the issue of human security towards fostering better cross-cultural understanding between peoples of the two regions,” he added.

Meanwhile, KASEAS President, Prof. Park Seung Woo, hoped that this conference will be a platform where problems and risk factors in human security issues for all countries in the ASEAN region are identified, discussed, and solutions sought.

In his speech, USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs Division), Prof. Ahmad Shukri Mustapa Kamal welcomed the conference participants to Penang and USM, and hoped that this kind of cooperation can be maintained with a more active participation of USM.

The biennial Korea-ASEAN Academic Conference was first held in the late 1990s.

In the meantime, the two-day conference, hosted by the USM Office of International Relations, also saw the presentation of 15 papers and the participation of nearly 50 participants, consisting of academic experts and leading figures from the ASEAN countries and Korea. - Text: Tan Ewe Hoe/Photo  & Translation: Yong Check Yoon