The 2013 ASEAN Connectivity Forum was held in Seoul , the Republicof Korea (RoK) on October 21-22 to discuss ways to enhance ASEANconnectivity as well as boost bilateral cooperation in the process.

The forum, co-organised by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and theInternational Contractors Association of Korea, drew the participationof 25 delegates from ASEAN, including government officials in charge ofconnectivity projects, ASEAN Secretariat and Asian Development Bank(ADB), and around 100 representatives from leading businesses in theRoK, regional and international organisations.

Highlighting the RoK’s contributions to infrastructure development inASEAN, the forum focused on such topics as the current status andchallenges of implementing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC)and utilising the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

In addition, delegates also discussed concrete infrastructure plans andmajor projects of each ASEAN member state, possibilities of cooperationbetween the grouping and RoK businesses, establishment of networks withASEAN government officals and search for new business opportunities.

Adopted at the 17 th ASEAN Summit in 2010, the MPAC has madecontinuous progress to enhance physical, institutional, andpeople-to-people connectivity.

Physical connectivityconstitutes mainly transportation, energy and ICT matters, especiallythe ASEAN Highway Network (AHN) and Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL)projects.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) groups Brunei , Cambodia , Indonesia , Malaysia , Myanmar ,Laos , Singapore , Thailand , the Philippines , and Vietnam./.