1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia and the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), hosted the third ROK-Mekong Business Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 10. The forum brought together some 100 people, including government officials in charge of trade and investment affairs and businessmen from the ROK and five countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Tae-ho of the Foreign Ministry led the ROK delegation.

2. In his congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony of the forum, Deputy Minister Lee stressed that the year 2015 is a meaningful year when the ASEAN Economic Community will be launched and that at the center of the ASEAN’s potential, which is receiving worldwide attention, lies the Greater Mekong Subregion with the heart of the vast potential, including abundant natural resources, and young and vibrant workforce. Deputy Minister Lee also stated that the role of the private sector, especially businessmen from the ROK and five countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion, is important and reaffirmed the ROK government’s willingness to make contributions in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including in narrowing the development gap among countries in the region.

o In his congratulatory remarks, Deputy Minister Lee reaffirmed the importance of building soft infrastructure, including human resources, as well as strengthening connectivity among countries in the region. He also expressed hope that the Greater Mekong Subregion FRETA logistics professional training program, which the ROK is supporting through the Mekong Institute, will help countries in the region promote economic cooperation.

3. At the forum held under the theme “Launch of AEC – Opportunities for Mekong-ROK Trade and Investment,” participants analyzed the overall business environment in the Greater Mekong Subregion and explored ways to increase trade and investment opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises in the ROK and the Greater Mekong Subregion. In the last session of the forum, entrepreneurs from the ROK and the Greater Mekong Subregion had one-on-one business networking meetings, where they had a useful and productive time sharing business information and seeking to find opportunities to enter each other’s markets.

4. The forum was attended by Advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia (minister-level) H.E. Sok Siphana and some 70 representatives from around 50 companies, mainly companies from Cambodia, the host of this forum. A business delegation of the ROK, formed by the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry and composed of about 20 people from some 20 companies, participated in the forum and explored ways to conduct business with firms in the Greater Mekong Subregion.


*unofficial translation