1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will hold the 6th High-Level Forum on Korea-Latin America Partnership under the theme “win-win cooperation, co-prosperity” on November 5.

o Minister/vice minister-level officials from Latin America are invited to the Forum to discuss ways to enhance economic cooperation between the two sides in a range of areas, including trade, investment, resources, infrastructure, environment and development. It has been held annually since 2008.

2. The upcoming Forum will be attended by a vice president and minister/vice minister-level officials from eight Latin American countries, including Costa Rican Vice President Luis Liberman, Bolivian Minister of Health and Sports Juan Carlos Calvimontes, and Dominican Republic Minister of Public Administration Ramon Ventura.

o The Forum will consist of three sessions on infrastructure, e-government and healthcare. In each session, each country’s major policies and projects underway will be explained and ways to cooperate with the ROK will be discussed.

3. Along with the High-Level Forum, the Korea-Latin America Business Forum will be held on November 6 at Lotte Hotel to help the ROK companies enter Latin American markets and build business networks. The event will be co-hosted by the Korea Council on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) and sponsored by the Foreign Ministry.

o During their visit to the ROK, high-level officials from Latin America will also have separate meetings with ministers or vice ministers of relevant ministries of the ROK and influential businessmen and discuss specific ways to promote bilateral cooperation.

4. The High-Level Forum on Korea-Latin America Partnership, which marks its 6th this year, has established itself as an important mechanism for dialogue on cooperation between the ROK and Latin American governments. The forthcoming Forum is expected to serve as a good opportunity to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, e-government, informatization and healthcare.

5. With the high economic growth rate of over 6 percent on average for the past ten years and the expansion of the middle class, Latin America has witnessed a dramatic increase in demand for economic and social development, emerging as the ROK’s major trade and investment partner. The two sides have also expanded cooperation in other various areas, including energy, resources, infrastructure, e-government, healthcare and environment.

6. The 6th High-Level Forum will be held in the Crystal Ballroom at Lotte Hotel in Seoul. You may visit the Forum’s official website (www.klacforum.org) or contact the Foreign Ministry’s Latin American and Caribbean Cooperation Division (02-2100-7441) for more detailed information.

o The public can also participate in the Forum through pre-registration or a simple registration process during 8:30-9:00 a.m. on the day of the event. 


                  Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation