Our top story this morning...<br />President Moon Jae-in is in Cambodia... on the last leg of his three-nation tour of the ASEAN region.<br />He's expected to tout his administration's so-called New Southern Policy... aimed at building bridges between South Korea and Southeast Asia.<br />The South Korean leader will also meet his Cambodian counterpart in the coming hours for talks on boosting business ties.<br />Shin Se-min reports from Phnom Penh. <br />The tail-end of the week-long, three-nation tour has brought President Moon Jae-in to Cambodia,... making him the first South Korean leader to make a state visit to the country in a decade. <br />President Moon is looking to upgrade South Korea's ties with Cambodia on multiple fronts,... and drive up two-way trade that logged 870-million U.S. dollars as of the end of 2017. <br /><br />President Moon and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, during their summit Friday, will sign deals on joint research cooperation for academic institutions as well as financial investment. <br />The leaders are also expected to shore up their ties in the agriculture, infrastructure and construction sectors. <br />The South Korean leader had previously revealed his ambition to make the New Southern Policy part of his administration's legacy-- promising to visit all ASEAN member nations at least once during his five-year term,... part of the reason why he chose to travel to three ASEAN nations in one swing this week.<br />Still, there are hurdles to overcome.<br />Despite its small trade volume with South Korea and relatively expensive labor costs,... the Kingdom is considered an important target market for Seoul... given its rapidly-growing capital market, the growth potential of the Mekong River and South Korea's relative lack of diplomatic diversity.<br />In addition,... Cambodia's role has increased after it was the country coordinator for Korea-ASEAN dialogue relations until last year,... in other words,... its ability to bridge ASEAN and South Korea is unmatched.<br /><br />"As one of Southeast Asia's four economic outperformers, Cambodia -- to President Moon -- is probably one of the most attractive markets for his pivot to the region.<br />One way to get those business deals started will be the first ever Korea-Mekong summit scheduled for later this year.<br />Shin Se-min, Arirang News, Phnom Penh." <br />
