Seoul (VNA) – Roundtable Discussions on theResults of the Survey on Mutual Perceptions of ASEAN and Korean Youths have been organised by the ASEAN-Korea Centre at the Press Room of Korea Press Centre inSeoul.

The roundtable presented the findings of the 2022Survey on Mutual Perceptions of ASEAN and Korean Youths conducted through focusgroup interviews (FGIs), which is a follow-up survey to the first quantitativeresearch done in 2021.

Speakers from the media, academia, government organisations,and youths participated in the roundtable discussions to exchange views on thecurrent perceptions of youths on ASEAN and the RoK, as well as share ideas forshaping balanced and equal mutual perceptions and awareness among the youths ofthe two regions.

As the important role of youth has been emphasised forbuilding a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership between ASEAN and theRoK, there is also a growing recognition on the need to build balanced mutualperceptions among the youths.

As such, the ASEAN-Korea Centre implemented two surveyprojects (2021-2022) to identify the current status of mutual perceptionsbetween ASEAN and Korean youths and to suggest ways for improving perceptions.

The 2022 qualitative survey was implemented throughFGIs with 147 youths of ASEAN and the RoK, and was designed as a follow-up tothe initial key findings from the 2021 quantitative survey.

Three main areas were covered in the FGIs,specifically on the perceptions of ASEAN and the RoK, youths exchanges betweenASEAN and the RoK, and ASEAN-RoK cooperative relations.

Results from the 2022 survey identified that ASEAN andKorean youths showed differences in their mutual perceptions for one another,and that such differences stem from the imbalance in frequency and scope ofexposure to information and content about one another.

Meanwhile, youths of both ASEAN and the RoK alsoregarded each other as trustworthy partners based on the recognition ofabundant opportunities for economic cooperation as well as less politicalinterests. However, despite such trust, youths still did not perceive eachother as equal partners and thus may not prioritise cooperation with eachother. This is due to their perceptions of different needs caused bydifferences in economic development and the lack of accurate recognition ofeach other´s values.

To bridge such gaps, the survey publicationhighlighted some potential policy recommendations minimising the asymmetry,providing quality contents that promote accurate perceptions and the promotionof collaborations and cooperation among relevant organisations, as well asincreasing youth exchange programmes./.