November 14, 2025
JEJU – An installation consisting of 10 commemorative benches symbolizing ASEAN member states was unveiled on Jeju Island, South Korea, highlighting the growing partnership between the East Asian country and the Southeast Asian regional bloc.
The benches were commemorated in an official ceremony held at the Parnas Hotel Jeju’s outdoor garden on Tuesday. Attending the event were dozens of distinguished guests, including ambassadors from 10 ASEAN countries, officials of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Olle Foundation, a non-profit organization which develops and maintains Jeju Olle Trail.
In his opening remarks on Tuesday’s event, ASEAN-Korea Centre secretary-general Kim Jae-shin highlights the significance of the installation, calling it “a symbolic landmark” where the friendship between South Korea and ASEAN comes alive amid the beautiful backdrop of Jeju.
“A ‘road’ connects destinations to destinations, people to people and hearts to hearts,” Kim said. “I hope that the ASEAN-Korea Olle and the 10 ASEAN benches will serve as instruments of friendship that bring ASEAN and Korea even closer together.”
The installations are located at the Jeju Olle Trail Route 8, which was dubbed the ASEAN-Korea Olle in 2024 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea Dialogue Relations and its elevation to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The term Olle often refers to traditional walled alleyways which connect houses on the island to the main road. One of South Korea’s most iconic trails, the Jeju Olle Trail is a network of walking paths on Jeju Island that highlights the island’s natural beauty, which include coastal views, volcanic landscapes, forests and rural villages.
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Each bench represents an ASEAN country, excluding Timor-Leste whose admission to the regional bloc only took place during the bloc’s Summit in Kuala Lumpur in late October.
They were designed to offer visitors both a place to rest and an opportunity to learn more about the cultures and stories of ASEAN, aimed to enhance cultural and tourism cooperation between ASEAN and Jeju.
Jeju’s Deputy Governor for Political Affairs Kim Ae-sook said the benches serve as “a new footprint” that further solidifies friendship between Korea and ASEAN. They were also a symbol of “enduring friendship and peace” between the island and the bloc.
“Jeju Province will continue to walk steadily on the path of sustainable cooperation, holding hands with each ASEAN nation to expand cultural, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” the deputy governor said.
ASEAN-Korea Centre secretary-general Kim Jae-shin (sixth right) poses for a group photo with ASEAN Ambassadors in Korea, Jeju’s Deputy Governor for Political Affairs Kim Ae-sook (sixth left) and Jeju Olle Foundation CEO Ahn Eun-joo (fifth right) during the launching ceremony on Nov. 11, 2025 at Parnas Hotel Jeju in Jeju, South Korea. PHOTO: HANDOUT/ASEAN-KOREA CENTRE/THE JAKARTA POST
Singaporean Ambassador to South Korea Wong Kai Jiun, who also chairs the ASEAN Committee in Seoul, noted that people-to-people ties remain the foundation of ASEAN relations to South Korea. He described the ASEAN-Korea Olle Trail as a “symbol of friendship, understanding and shared journey”.
“Let us continue to build on the strong momentum of our cultural collaboration as we foster better mutual understanding between ASEAN countries and the Republic of Korea,” Wong said.
With the first sectoral dialogue established in 1989, South Korea obtained an ASEAN full dialogue partner status during the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 1991.
Since then, the country has signed several deals to improve its ties with the regional bloc, including last year’s adoption of the comprehensive strategic partnership, which is the highest level of relationship ASEAN establishes with its dialogue partners.
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South Korea also became the second dialogue partner with whom ASEAN has signed a free trade agreement. Both parties signed the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation in 2005, as well as four agreements that form the legal instruments for the establishment of ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Area, which came into effect in January 2010.
The agreement helped turn ASEAN into one of South Korea’s top export markets, with US$47.8 billion of exports during the first five months of 2025, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Korea International Trade Association.