1. An interagency delegation of government officials and experts dispatched by the Foreign Ministry is visiting Peru, Venezuela and Panama on December 4-11. The delegation aims at strengthening cooperation with the Latin American middle powers in a future-oriented manner by sharing the Republic of Korea’s development experience and seeking out new promising areas of cooperation, including e-government, education, science, technology and the knowledge sharing program.

° The delegation is holding a cooperation forum with each of its host countries.

° The delegation, led by MOFAT’s Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Jang Keun-ho, consists of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology as well as experts from the Korea Development Institute and the Korea Foundation.

2. In Panama, the last destination of its tour, the delegation held a ROK-Venezuela Cooperation Forum at Intercontinental Hotel, Panama City, on December 7 with some 30 officials and experts from Panama’s Foreign and Education Ministries, energy agency, and Presidential Commission in charge of commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean. In the Forum, the two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual concern, including sharing their experience in economic development, e-government, ways to increase cooperation in education and investment, energy, culture and public diplomacy.

° The Panamanian side voiced hope to work more closely together with the ROK in education (curricular reform, and teacher education and training) and energy (renewable energy, such as wind, power distribution and ways to improve energy efficiency).

3. The top delegate and MOFAT’s Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Jang Keun-ho met with Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez on December 9 to discuss ways to develop the relationship between the two countries, which mark the 50th diplomatic anniversary in 2012. They agreed to work on the new cooperation projects discussed at the Forum.

4. The ROK and Panama, which mark the 50th diplomatic anniversary next year, have lately been enjoying the strongest-ever cooperation, as can be seen by the exchange of visits by their leaders last year, the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a High-level Policy Commission on November 22, the High-level Forum on ROK-Latin America and Caribbean Partnership on May 18-19, and the visit to the ROK by high-ranking Panamanian officials for the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held on November 29-December 1. The delegation’s visit to Panama, which took place amid such trends, is seen to have served as a fruitful opportunity to explore new areas and best possible ways of cooperation.

                               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation