Former Korean ambassador to the Philippines Kim Jae-shin was inaugurated as the sixth secretary general of the Seoul-based ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC).
Founded in 2009, the AKC is an intergovernmental organization that tims to enhance trade, promote investment, boost tourism, and foster cultural and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and Korea. Its members are South Korea and the 10 ASEAN member states including the Philippines.
Former Korean ambassador to the Philippines Kim Jae-shin is now the secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre. (Photo from AKC) 
Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Jae-shin (middle) in Iloilo in 2017. (Photo from the Korean Cultural Center-Philippines)
Ambassador Kim has four decades of experience in foreign service including serving as the deputy minister of foreign affairs.
He served as the Korean ambassador in the Philippines from 2015 to 2018. He was awarded the Philippine Order of Sikatuna with the rank of grand cross (datu) in 2018. Before this, he was Korea’s ambassador in Germany.
Kim earned his B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Korea University (1979) and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980.
This year marks AKC’s 15th anniversary and the 35th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations.
According to the AKC, this is a significant year for ASEAN-Korea relations as this will be elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) at the ASEAN-ROK Summit in the second half of the year.
Kim is expected to play a significant role in further strengthening the ASEAN-Korea partnership and taking the relationship to a new level of shared prosperity and mutually beneficial cooperation by leveraging his rich diplomatic experience and expertise on ASEAN.