Republic Of Korea's Participation In The Development Policy Of The Mekong Region

There are five countries in the Mekong region,namely Cambodia,Vietnam,Laos,Myanmar and Thailand.The Mekong River crosses these countries,which covers an area of 795,000 square kilometers,about 10 times the size of South Korea.The Mekong region is rich in natural resources and has enormous growth potential.Since the 1990s,countries have established several regional cooperation mechanisms.South Korea has also actively participated in the development of the Mekong region in recent years,but it started late and faces some problems.Studying Korea's participation in this region will help South Korea expand its market and expand its diplomatic space in the region.This paper uses regionalism theory to study South Korea's participation in the development of the Mekong region.The basic ideas and main contents of this paper are as follows:First,study the historical status and cooperation mechanism of the development of the Mekong region,clarify the past and present conditions of the region and the existing cooperation mechanisms.Secondly,it discusses the history and current situation of Korea's participation in the development of the Mekong region.It explains how Korea interacts with the region from the two dimensions of history and status,and introduces the policy framework for South Korea's participation in the development of the Mekong region.Introducing South Korea's policy towards the Mekong region since the 1980s.On the institutional side,it mainly introduces the Foreign Economic Cooperation Fund(EDCF)and the Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA).The planning section mainly introduces South Korea's "New South Policy" to Southeast Asia,and then studies South Korea's participation in the development of the Mekong region in terms of trade,investment,and development assistance.Third,it proposes the effectiveness and problems of South Korea's participation in the development of the Mekong region.The paper argues that in the context of the participation of large foreign countries in the development of the Mekong region,South Korea should pay attention to several issues in the development of the Mekong region:First,in order to achieve the"new southern policy,"South Korea needs a more specific plan of action.Secondly,it is necessary to take into account the recent development of the Mekong River region in terms of wide-area development and comprehensive promotion.The construction of economic corridors is a typical representative.Third,cooperation with the Mekong region should be aimed at improving regional infrastructure connectivity,narrowing the development gap,supporting the industrialization of the region,preparing for the industrial revolution and cultivating talents.Fourth,such cooperation should aim to reduce the cost of Korean companies entering the region,accelerate the integration of ASEAN economies,and further contribute to the integration of East Asian economies.Fifth,South Korea's New South policy is similar to China's "One Belt,One Road"initiative,so we must pay attention to the convergence of these two cooperation initiatives.Sixth,the South Korean government needs to consider whether all of the ASEAN countries will be launched in the process of cooperation,or will be expanded after the country is designated first.Seventh,free aid and paid loans,most cooperative funds,infrastructure funds,etc.,so it is necessary to comprehensively use these funds for marketing strategies.