President Park Geun-hye is preparing to meet with a dozen regional leaders in Malaysia on Saturday, the latest in a string of summits amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The meeting involves the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their three Northeast Asian dialogue partners -- South Korea, China and Japan.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

The leaders are expected to review progress of their cooperation in economics, finance and science, and to discuss how to pursue cooperation in the future, according to Cheong Wa Dae,

South Korea's presidential office.

The meeting comes amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, one of the key shipping routes for South Korea and other regional countries.

China has been pushing for land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, creating tensions with the U.S. and some of Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines.

Separately, Park is set to meet with new Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the sidelines of the summit.

Park is also scheduled to attend a gala banquet for regional leaders later Saturday on the eve of the East Asia Summit, an annual forum meant to discuss regional and international strategic issues.

The East Asia Summit is composed of ASEAN plus its eight dialogue partners -- South Korea, China, Japan, the U.S., Russia, Australia, India and New Zealand.

Park plans to ask cooperation from the leaders of the East Asia Summit to help resolve the dispute over North Korea's nuclear program, Cheong Wa Dae said.

South Korea, China, Japan, the U.S. and Russia have been involved in the long-stalled negotiations to try to coax North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.

Still, North Korea has repeatedly vowed to develop its economy and nuclear arsenal in tandem, despite repeated warnings from Seoul and Washington that the policy is a dead end for the country.

Meanwhile, Malaysian newspaper the Star reported that Park was the one who stood out among the leaders who arrived in Kuala Lumpur, noting she is the only female leader at the summit.

"She was the only rose among the thorns," the Star reported. (Yonhap)