South Korea's Yoon says forced change in Indo-Pacific is unacceptable
[1/2] South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the ASEAN summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia November 11, 2022. REUTERS/Cindy Liu
SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday that unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Asian region by force can never be accepted amid tension over the South China Sea, Taiwan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Yoon made the comment at a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
Yoon said his Indo-Pacific strategy was aimed at fostering a "free, peaceful and prosperous" region built on a rules-based order.
To that end, he would help shore up rules-based efforts to prevent conflicts and ensure the principle of peaceful resolutions through dialogue.
"Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is directly related to our survival and prosperity," Yoon said in opening remarks at the summit.
"Any unilateral change in the status quo by force should never be tolerated."
Yoon also said he would boost shared economic prosperity based on an "open, fair order" and step up cooperation with ASEAN countries to increase the resilience of global supply chains and economic security.
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