I would like to warmly congratulate the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for hosting the second edition of the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival, ROUND 2021.
I also commend the KBS for the success of the first installment of the ROUND Festival in December 2020, which won the 2021 Digital Content Award at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

ASEAN is one of the major markets for the Republic of Korea's (ROK) content exports.
The Korean Wave or Hallyu, especially in music, TV dramas and movies has served as a firm foundation for the robust ASEAN-Korea partnership over the decades. As we strive towards a ‘two-way’ ASEAN-Korean Wave, the continuation of this festival allows us to promote Korean music culture as well as showcase some of the finest musicians across various genres from ASEAN Member States to the world.

As evidenced by the success of ROUND 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope that ROUND 2021 will continue to lift the spirits of our peoples through music.
This festival also demonstrates our shared priority in supporting the creative and cultural industries in ASEAN and the ROK amidst these challenging times.

My sincere appreciation to the Government of the ROK for their continued support towards ASEAN community-building efforts, particularly through the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund. I also thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK and ASEAN Member States for organising this meaningful event.

I wish the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival ROUND 2021 a great success.