1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the Seventh Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 21. At the meeting, he presented a vision for the 16-year-old FEALAC to enhance its status and visibility, and to become a more mature consultative mechanism in the new Pacific Rim era.

2. On the occasion of the meeting, the Republic of Korea officially assumed the role as a FEALAC Regional Coordinator along with Guatemala. The ROK will serve as FEALAC’s co-chair from August 22, 2015, until the Eighth FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which will take place in the country in 2017. In addition, the ROK’s assumption of the role as a Regional Coordinator is part of the country’s efforts to open a new diplomatic horizon in Latin America in the wake of President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the region in April 2015.

° FEALAC, composed of 36 member states – 16 East Asian and 20 Latin American countries – is one of the three largest inter-regional consultative mechanisms that involve East Asia, along with APEC and ASEM. By serving as its Regional Coordinator, the ROK will continue to contribute to the advancement of FEALAC.

3. Prior to the plenary session, Minister Yun mentioned that in the face of North Korea’s provocation, he would have to return home earlier than initially planned. In response, Foreign Minister Gonzalez of Costa Rica, the FEALAC chair country, advanced the plenary session from the afternoon to morning hours, marking a very rare case in multilateral meetings. Furthermore, he considerately granted Minister Yun the floor before anyone else so that Minister Yun could deliver his remarks at the plenary session before heading back home.

4. Minister Yun appreciated the significance of FEALAC, as the two regions are expected to serve as important new growth engines in today’s global economy. He stressed that just as the UN and UNESCO are reviewing and reshaping the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the “Education for All (EFA)” initiative after 15 years of their implementation, the 16-year-old FEALAC also stands at a time to review the path it has taken and chart its way forward.

5. Minister Yun recalled President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the four Latin American countries – Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil – in April 2015 as an occasion for putting into action the ROK’s vision for the ROK-Latin America cooperation, and stressed that the ROK is making diplomatic efforts to strengthen the Pacific Rim cooperation to connect East Asia and Latin America.

° He noted President Park Geun-hye’s opening remarks at the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), held in Busan in March, before her visit to Latin America – in particular the proposals that envision the ROK-Latin America cooperation with three new partnerships; the creation of high value-added through cooperation in various areas; establishment of a common market; and the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

6. Minister Yun mentioned that FEALAC, as it enters its youth, stands at an important juncture for its development into a more mature consultative mechanism. He stressed that in order for FEALAC to make strides forward, it should enhance its visibility by mustering political willingness of its member states; boost the bond among its member states through FEALAC-wide projects; and seek cooperation in the areas of mutual interest, including development, healthcare and medical service, trade and cyber security – all in an effort to enhance the connectivity between the two regions.

° In particular, the Minister, highlighting the need for FEALAC to become a summit-level mechanism like APEC and ASEM, proposed that its member countries consider holding the first Summit Meeting in 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of FEALAC to demonstrate the member states’ willingness for cooperation at the summit level.

° Minister Yun mentioned that now that the ROK has become the FEALAC Regional Coordinator for East Asia, it is prepared to lead the advancement of FEALAC. In addition, he conveyed the ROK’s commitments to strengthen the ROK-Latin America cooperation, and to bring East Asia and Latin America more closely together. Stressing that now is the time to realize what has been discussed so far, he conveyed the ROK’s willingness to actively contribute to FEALAC’s development by building upon the country’s experiences in hosting the FEALAC Cyber Secretariat and leading the FEALAC Vision Group.

7. Delegates from China and many other countries welcomed the ROK’s plan to host the Eighth FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul in 2017; commended the activities of the ROK-hosted Cyber Secretariat; and voiced hope for an expansion of such activities.

8. The ROK government has designated the year 2015 as “the year for boosting diplomacy in Latin America.” In addition to President Park’s visit to the four Latin American countries in April, the ROK’s plan to host the Eighth FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2017; and its proposal to develop FEALAC into a summit-level mechanism; are all part of the ROK’s efforts to boost its diplomacy in Latin America.

9. Minister Yun, by attending the Seventh FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting; and the ROK, by assuming the role as the Regional Coordinator for East Asia, have conveyed to the FEALAC member states the ROK government’s willingness to cooperate with FEALAC, the only inter-governmental consultative mechanism between East Asia and Latin America. The ROK is thereby seen to have made continued efforts to further strengthen its diplomacy for the Pacific Rim cooperation, as it had been highlighted by President Park’s visit to Latin American in April 2015.


* unofficial translation