The 2019 ASEAN-Korea Youth Academic Workshop involving 14 winners of an essay contest has entered its final phase, the intergovernmental organization said Monday.

The 14 youths were selected for their top performance in the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest co-organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and ASEAN University Network between June and October last year.

“Following the success of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong-ROK Summit, ASEAN and Korea are now advancing together into a new era of partnership. In shaping the future community of ASEAN and Korea, the role of youths is more important than ever,” said Lee Hyuk, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre.

“In this regard, the ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre is a valuable program that promotes studies on ASEAN-Korea relations and contributes to nurturing the young minds of ASEAN and Korea to lead a more sustainable and forward-looking partnership in the future.”

The 10-day workshop kicked off Jan. 6 in Vietnam, this year’s chair of ASEAN, and was followed by a visit to Seoul. The workshop will wrap up in Busan, the host city of last year’s ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

The workshop consists of various programs in Vietnam and South Korea, including lectures, presentations of the winning essays and discussions with experts from government agencies, universities and think tanks.

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)