1. The 8th Republic of Korea-South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Partnership Seminar will be held at COEX in Seoul on December 20 under the theme “investment environment in South Asia, the Next China, and Korean companies’ entry into its market.” It will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

※ ROK-SAARC Partnership Seminar
- a 1.5-track consultative forum where experts from the eight member states of SAARC (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives) are invited.
- As part of public diplomacy, it has been held since 2010 to enhance close communications and mutual understanding between the ROK and SAARC.

2. At the upcoming event, officials from India’s Invest India (an investment promotion agency under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry), the Foreign Ministries of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and the SAARC Secretariat will provide detailed information on each Southwest Asian country’s investment environment and closely communicate with businessmen.

o Participants from the ROK will be relevant officials, including the Deputy Director-General for South Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Foreign Ministry and the director of KOTRA, and about 90 businessmen.

3. The forthcoming event takes place to explore ways to expand the ROK’s investment in Southwest Asia, expected to play a leading role in the growth of the global economy, as it is important now for the ROK to secure new engines of economic growth and diversify outbound investments.

o Global companies are paying attention to the Southwest Asian region due to not only its massive market with a population of 1.7 billion, the high proportion of the economically active population, and geopolitical importance, but also its recent high growth rates and the demand for large-scale infrastructure.

4. The ROK government seeks to build mutually-beneficial and people-centered cooperative relations with ASEAN and Southwest Asian countries through the New Southern Policy. The upcoming event, which follows President Moon’s visit to Southeast Asia in November, is expected to add momentum to the government’s efforts to actively pursue its New Southern Policy in the Southwest Asian region.


* unofficial translation