SEOUL -- South Korea (where the idea of becoming a regional hub is now all the rage) and Malaysia share the same basic vision for Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, respectively. In addition, the two countries are cosponsoring an initiative to formally coordinate the ASEAN plus three forum. Last month, Malaysia announced its willingness to provide $10 million seed money to launch an ASEAN plus three secretariat in Kuala Lumpur. Seoul was the first to applaud the initiative.
The two countries already share a $6 billion two-way trade relationship based on extensive economic complementarity. And both lead their subregions in the development of computers, communications infrastructure and software. South Korea is pouring billions into an information-technology hub around Inchon and Malaysia in a "multimedia supercorridor" around Putrajaya.
However, the pair would appear more like an odd couple than natural partners. Malaysia is more than three times as large, multicultural (with three major ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indian), and has only about a third of South Korea's per capita GNP; South Korea is smaller, homogenous and has more than twice the population.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.