Navigating Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea (ASEAN–ROK)’s Development Cooperation Agenda in Post-2030 Dialogue: Potentials and Challenges

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Southeast Asian countries have been engaging more visibly and actively in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) dialogue than the millennium development goals domain. However, ASEAN has not been observed championing Agenda 2030 and retaining the SDGs on the global development policy agenda like the European Union. Hence, this study explores the possible roles played by and strategic interactions of ASEAN with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the development cooperation domain. Specifically, this study clarifies available options to develop a unifying framework after 2030 and highlights ASEAN’s roles and Korea’s contributions in terms of the countries’ competing geopolitical global development paradigms. Moreover, this study examines ASEAN’s role and positionality as a global development policy actor and a regional multilateral actor by indicating the regional division of development needs and priorities and negotiating the changes in global geopolitical contexts. Finally, the article suggests three strategic recommendations for ASEAN-ROK’s joint initiatives for development cooperation: Focus on development and humanitarian gaps, assist the development of national development plans and post-2030 plans in core contribution areas, and overcome social and environmental sustainability challenges.