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ASEAN-Korea Centre chief meets with Timor-Leste leaders

Published: 18 Mar. 2026, 11:18 Updated: 18 Mar. 2026, 15:53

SEO JI-EUN
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Kim Jae-shin, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, left, pays a courtesy call on Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, prime minister of Timor-Leste in Dili, Timor-Leste, on March 13. [ASEAN-KOREA CENTRE]

Secretary General Kim Jae-shin of the ASEAN-Korea Centre wrapped up a four-day visit to Dili for a series of high-level meetings with Timorese officials on Sunday, marking one of the first formal diplomatic outreach efforts following Timor-Leste's accession as Asean's 11th member state last October.

Kim met with Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao and held separate sessions with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jesuina Ferreira Gomes, Vice Minister for Asean Affairs Milena Rangel and Secretary of State for Art and Culture Jorge Soares Cristovao.

Talks centered on Timor-Leste's formal accession procedures, as well as potential areas for practical cooperation in trade, investment, culture and tourism.

"Timor-Leste’s accession to Asean is a historically significant development," Kim said during the visit, "that will serve as important momentum for the future development of Asean and for the further strengthening of Asean-Korea relations."

The Asean-Korea Centre, an intergovernmental organization mandated to promote economic and sociocultural cooperation, currently manages over 30 annual programs.

It also organized a dedicated briefing for roughly 60 Timorese officials involved in Asean affairs, according to the Centre.

Timorese officials, in turn, expressed high expectations for the partnership, expecting support for micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises, training programs for government officials and expanded scholarship opportunities for Timorese nationals.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]