President Lee Jae Myung traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday to attend the ASEAN summit, beginning a"super week" of diplomacy in Asia that culminates with his chairing of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conferences in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from Friday to Saturday.
At the upcoming ASEAN meetings on Monday, Lee's primary focus will likely be on transnational online scam-related crimes burgeoning in Southeast Asian countries, as more South Koreans have fallen victim to such crimes across the region.
Cambodia, in particular, had struggled to respond to an increase in Korean victims and alleged perpetrators until the recent revelation of the torture and death of a 22-year-old man near a scamming compound in Kampot province.
Lee is scheduled to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday to coordinate measures to jointly contain the crimes in the region, which he sees as detrimental to the lives of South Korean people, according to the presidential office.
This follows Lee's decision to hold a meeting Thursday at his office to discuss ways to combat transnational crime. According to the presidential office, Lee said there that a failure to contain such crimes will “lead to a sharp rise in the social cost” of managing the problem.
"Scams are not the problem of just a single country, as criminals jump around borders, and their crimes thrive near the borders of countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos," National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing Friday.
"This time, we are focusing on bilateral efforts with Cambodia, but we recognize that a multilateral effort would be effective in stemming such crimes," Wi also said, adding that the Lee administration will push for various diplomatic efforts not limited to a summit between leaders.
In addition to his meeting with Manet, Lee will also sit down for talks on Monday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will chair the ASEAN summit.
Lee will also attend the ASEAN summit and the ASEAN Plus Three meeting Monday, where he is expected to encounter recently inaugurated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Lee's first trip to an ASEAN summit since his inauguration in June will be brief, as he is poised to chair the two-day APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Korea from Friday. Following his return to Seoul on Monday, Lee will host leaders from the 21 member economies of APEC in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
The highlight of the"super week" of multilateral summits will apparently be a high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 30, with their first meeting in over six years coming amid a rekindled trade conflict between the two superpowers.
Also throughout the APEC week, Lee is to meet with leaders from countries including the United States, China, Canada and Singapore, according to the presidential office.
Lee will hold talks with Trump on Wednesday, with all eyes on whether monthslong negotiations for a trade deal can be finalized. Lee and China's President Xi Jinping will also hold a one-on-one meeting Saturday, soon after a ceremony passing the chairmanship to Xi for next year's APEC summit.
Lee's meeting with Takaichi was also being coordinated, according to the presidential office, but it added that the schedule has not been finalized.
Regarding his itinerary as chair of the APEC conferences, Lee is to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit on Wednesday and chair sessions during the two-day APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Friday and Saturday.
