JEJU — ASEAN-Korea Week 2025 has kicked off on South Korea's famous Jeju Island with a ceremony to inaugurate the completion of 10 benches honouring Southeast Asian member states of the ASEAN bloc along the ASEAN-Korea Olle route, part of the island's famous Olle walking trails.

The week of celebrations will take place from November 11 to 15 on Jeju, South Korea's largest island and renowned for its beauty.

ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Jae-shin said at the ceremony that he was happy to hold the launch to celebrate the installation of the 10 ASEAN benches on Jeju amid the deepening autumn ambience. 

He then thanked representatives of the 10 ASEAN member states at the ceremony for making the initiative possible at South Korea’s most sought-after tourist destination.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organisation with a mission of promoting economic and socio-cultural cooperation between ASEAN member states and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Wong Kai Jiun, Singapore's ambassador to the RoK and chair of the ASEAN Committee in Seoul, said at the ceremony: “The ASEAN-Korea Olle Trail serves to better welcome ASEAN visitors to Jeju and to better introduce ASEAN to local tourists in Jeju.”

Last year, the ASEAN-RoK Dialogue Partnership was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Singaporean ambassador said that ASEAN looks forward to continuing the good momentum in relations with the RoK. 

“It is precisely initiatives like this ASEAN-Korea Olle Trail that promotes this softer, people-to-people aspect of ASEAN-RoK relations,” he added.

Jeju Olle Foundation CEO Ahn Eun-joo said at the ceremony that the Jeju Olle Trail Route 8 was designated last year as the ‘ASEAN-Korea Olle’ to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea Dialogue Partnership.

“It is truly significant to walk along the ASEAN-Korea Olle, with beautiful stone benches that invite Olle walkers to pause their steps. They truly embody the spirit of the Jeju Olle Trail, which includes playing and resting, walking slowly, discovering oneself and connecting with Jeju,” she said.

Vice Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Kim Ae-sook highlighted the support from the Jeju Governor’s office for the Jeju Olle Foundation, which was established 18 years ago.

Olle in Jeju dialect means a small path from one’s home to a larger place outside. It also represents the desire for connectivity from a personal location to a greater network, or as one member state representative put it: “All roads in ASEAN lead to Jeju."

Representing the Vietnamese delegation, Ministerial Counsellor Nguyễn Thị Thái Bình said she hopes the area will see visits from the Vietnamese community in South Korea as well as future travellers from Việt Nam. VNS