2025 ASEAN–Korea Innovative Culture Forum strengthens cultural cooperation in Singapore
Singapore hosted the 2025 ASEAN–Korea Innovative Culture Forum on November 8, bringing cultural and creative leaders from ASEAN and South Korea into the same room. The event ended with a fresh cooperation agreement between the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) and the ASEAN Foundation, signalling a push for longer-term joint work in the cultural sector.
Held at the National Gallery Singapore, the forum focused on how technology is reshaping culture, and how regional partners can respond together.
Why Singapore was the meeting point
Organisers said the forum has become a regional platform for cultural innovation since it launched in 2020. The 2025 edition marked its sixth year, with participants drawn from the 10 ASEAN member states and South Korea.
The venue also mattered. Staging the forum at a major Singapore cultural institution underlined the city’s role as a neutral convening space for regional collaboration.
What the ASEAN–Korea Culture Forum put on the table
A central theme was AI. AI, or artificial intelligence, is software that can generate or analyse content by learning patterns from data. Organisers framed it as both an opportunity and a challenge for creators, cultural institutions, and policymakers.
The programme opened with a keynote by Professor Kyogu Lee of Seoul National University, also a co-founder of Supertone, on “Inclusive AI for Cultural Sustainability.”
The forum then moved into four themed sessions, including discussions on cultural diversity and inclusion, shifts in the creative industries, cultural heritage, and AI literacy. AI literacy refers to the practical skills needed to use AI tools responsibly and understand their limits.
From debate to practical cooperation
Beyond panels, the biggest outcome was a memorandum of understanding signed by KOFICE and the ASEAN Foundation after the forum. Organisers said the agreement is meant to support sustained exchanges and joint cultural and creative projects across the region.
The ASEAN Foundation said the MoU strengthens an existing partnership and is designed to expand long-term exchanges and new programmes that connect ASEAN and Korean cultural ecosystems.
AI literacy and cultural heritage took centre stage
The forum’s content reflected a clear policy concern: how to adopt new tools without flattening cultural diversity. Sessions highlighted the need to preserve different languages, traditions, and creative practices as technology spreads across cultural industries.
Singapore-based voices were also part of the discussion. The published programme included speakers linked to local institutions such as LASALLE College of the Arts and the National Gallery Singapore.
What this means for cultural ties in the region
For Singapore, the forum reinforced its role as a regional hub where culture, policy, and technology can meet. For ASEAN and South Korea, the MoU adds a concrete mechanism for follow-up work after the event.
The headline message from organisers was consistent: cooperation now needs to move at the speed of technological change, while keeping culture inclusive and sustainable. Singapore’s hosting of the 2025 forum, and the partnership signed at its close, placed that goal firmly on the regional agenda.
