Seoul, Oct. 2 -- Asia must seize the moment to tell its own story and shape the world's future, said Esther Ng, chair of Asia News Network, at The Korea Herald's HIT Forum in Seoul on Thursday.

"Asia is not just rising. It has risen," Ng declared in her keynote address, a message delivered just weeks before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. "This part of the world, rich in cultural diversity, economic vitality, shared heritage and history, dynamic populations and the fastest embrace of technology, holds enormous potential for collective growth."

Ng, a veteran journalist and chief content officer of Malaysia's top English daily, The Star, said the region's identity has shifted dramatical...