• OPINION

  Thailand's going bananas for Korea

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/09/2019

  » When South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Thailand recently, he highlighted two Thai names, Nichkhun of 2PM and Lisa of Blackpink as symbols of the excellent South Korean-Thai friendship. Nichkhun Horvejkul and Lalisa Manoban are young Thai idols who are making a living as K-Pop performers in Seoul. Both of them speak fluent Korean, they are trained to sing in Korean and are well-versed in K-Pop dancing.

• OPINION

  N Korea: An enemy at Asean's gate?

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/12/2017

  » Southeast Asia is no longer immune from North Korean nuclear destructive force. As tensions heighten by the day, the US, Japan, South Korea and China, in their thoughtful ways, are bringing the looming nuclear threat to the eardrums of all Asean leaders. A frequently asked question: Are they serious?

• OPINION

  Asean-S Korea ties surging forward

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 09/04/2019

  » South Korea is catching up with China and Japan in developing all-around relations with Asean. Last week's announcement of the third Asean-Korea Summit to be held in Busan from Nov 25-27 together with the first Mekong-Korea Summit is a speed indicator of South Korea's approach to Asean. Under current President Moon Jae-in, South Korean officials have described bilateral relations as going gosog, or high-speed.

• OPINION

  Time for Japan and S Korea to end spat

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/08/2019

  » Japan and South Korea must stop their tit-for-tat measures before their worsening relations reach the point of no return. The ongoing spat between Asian's two economic giants has sent chills down the spines of regional leaders, who are very concerned that it could spiral out of control and break down the longstanding spirit of East Asian community-building. If that happens, the post-war stability and prosperity of the past seven decades would quickly disappear. Difficult as it is, now is the time to mend fences.

• OPINION

  Asean must continue to engage N Korea

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 05/03/2019

  » The second Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi failed to produce an outcome that would enable regional partners to play a bigger role. Last week's meeting was strictly a leader-to-leader negotiation, nobody else. US President Donald Trump walked away from the tête-à-tête without an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, simply because he thought it was a bad deal to end sanctions at this crucial moment. It is a chicken-and-egg situation.

• OPINION

  South Korea is wooing Asean and India

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/07/2018

  » For the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea, under the helm of President Moon Jae-in, has effectively been embedded in the regional scheme of things --political/security, economic and social/cultural. The country's previous four presidents -- Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye -- tried to do the same but sadly they repeatedly failed. Every time these leaders wanted to focus on Southeast Asia and South Asia, something happened in the Northeast, the Korean Peninsula in particular, that immediately distracted them. They became mesmerised and forgot the region. There was no consistency whatsoever.

• OPINION

  ROK-China relations face challenges

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 16/08/2022

  » While United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long departed South Korea for home, the news headlines generated by her journey continue unabated around the world.

• OPINION

  Embedding S Korea in Southeast Asia

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/11/2019

  » For three days from Nov 25-27 in the port city of Busan, South Korean President Moon Jae-in will have a rare opportunity that eluded his predecessors -- to set in cast iron the future and shape of South Korean-Asean and Mekong riparian country relations amid the ever-changing regional and international environment.

• OPINION

  Pyongyang’s threats remain in South Korea

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 10/07/2018

  » In summertime, Gangnam district of the South Korean capital is the place to go to observe the country’s dynamism and vibrancy. It is colourful and full of youthful energy. However, when you start casual conversations with youngsters here, immediately a different mood prevails.

• OPINION

  Asean mulls role in Korean Peninsula

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 06/10/2020

  » At the recent Asean Regional Forum (ARF), issues related to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula were extensively discussed by the participants of the region's only security forum. The chairman's statement released after the meeting, the 27th since its inception in 1995, was exceptional regarding one of the world's hotspots.

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