1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host APEC’s Regional Economic Integration Capacity-Building Workshop, to be attended by delegations from APEC member countries and experts from international organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul from June 27 to 28.

o In a bid to achieve the mid- to long-term goal of establishing the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, the ROK, a founding member of APEC, has played a leading role in helping APEC member countries gain expertise in the area of trade and investment. The upcoming workshop is also part of the ROK-led APEC project to prepare for economic integration.

※ The workshop will bring together government officials dealing with economic and trade affairs from APEC member economies, including Russia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan.

2. The workshop will be attended by experts in economic and trade affairs from APEC member countries, as well as international experts in the area of intellectual property rights, including Counsellor of the WTO Wolf Meier-Ewert, head of the International Classifications and Standards Division of WIPO Yun Young-woo, and lawyer Nahoko ONO from LernerDavid, a US law firm. Participants from the ROK include Principal Director Kim Hee-tae from the Korean Intellectual Property Office, Professor Jung Cha-ho at Sungkyunkwan University Law School, and Senior Patent Attorney Park Jin-seok from DARAE Law & IP Group.

3. Amid the ever-growing importance of the area of intellectual property rights which resulted from the advent of the digital economy, the workshop is expected to serve as an opportunity for government officials from APEC member countries and experts from international organizations and the private sector to share each country’s exemplary cases and experiences, and to engage in in-depth discussions.

4. At APEC, the ROK is sharing its experience in economic and foreign affairs, and exerting efforts to lead discussions on the international community’s common agendas, including inclusive trade, in cooperation with government agencies, specialized organizations and academia.

* unofficial translation