Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday for a summit expected to seek ways address the worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand calling for heightened engagement ahead of a planned election by the country's embattled military rulers.

President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Laos on Wednesday to participate in summits to be hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for discussions on economic and security cooperation with the regional bloc.

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting at an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two challenges that have long tested the bloc's credibility.