by Jun Kwanwoo

SEOGWIPO, South Korea - South Korean and Southeast Asian leaders Tuesday condemned North Korea's nuclear test and pledged to fight protectionism, as they ended a summit marked by the signing of a sweeping free trade pact.
Seoul planned the two-day summit to strengthen economic, political and cultural links with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

But North Korea moved high up the agenda after it tested its second nuclear bomb on May 25. It followed up by renouncing the 1953 armistice on the Korean peninsula and launching short-range missiles.

Pyongyang also appears to be preparing a long-range missile test. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and the 10 ASEAN leaders in a statement condemned the nuclear test and recent missile launches as "clear
violations" of UN Security Council resolutions and of agreements at six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

They said peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was essential to keep the regional peace and expressed full support for resumption of the stalled six-party talks.

Apart from security matters, South Korea and Southeast Asia want to strengthen economic links further to help each other weather the global downturn.

As the summit opened Monday in the holiday island of Jeju, Lee announced plans for a major boost in trade, aid and personnel exchanges to pave the way for the world's "era of Asia." He said South Korea would aim to double annual trade with Southeast Asia to an annual 150 billion dollars over the next six years, from the current 90 billion.

Trade ministers from the two sides on Tuesday signed an investment accord, completing a full free trade agreement covering almost 650 million people.

The leaders in their summit statement pledged utmost efforts to stimulate economic growth and "stand firm" against protectionism during the global economic crisis.

South Korea sees ASEAN's almost 600 million people as a market for its export-dominated economy that can offset the recession in developed countries.

Panitan Wattayanagorn, spokesman for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, told AFP Monday the two sides needed each other.

"Time is critical as ASEAN needs a close partner, and vice versa, to be able to deal effectively with the impact of the economic crisis," Panitan said.

Resource-poor South Korea is also eyeing the bloc's abundant raw materials.

ASEAN is already South Korea's third largest trading partner and its second largest destination for overseas investment.

South Korea, often criticised in the past for the stinginess of its overseas aid, has said it will double its official development assistance to ASEAN to 400 million dollars a year by 2015.

It has also said it will invite 7,000 students and workers from ASEAN countries by 2015 for vocational training, and send 10,000 volunteers the other way to pass on expertise in the information and telecommunications sector.

The summit was held under the slogan "Partnership for real, friendship for good," and the host spared no effort to safeguard visiting leaders.

A surface-to-air missile unit was set up, 5,000 police were deployed in Jeju and navy ships patrolled the coast.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. The summit marks the 20th anniversary of a formal dialogue between the bloc and South Korea.-AFP