1. MOFAT’s Minister for Trade Bark Tae-ho will visit Shenyang City in China’s Liaoning Province on August 23-24 to attend the opening ceremony of the 11th ROK-Shenyang Week, which will take place as a commemorative event for the 20th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China.

° The opening ceremony will bring together a number of officials and businesspeople from the two countries, including Governor Chen Zhenggao of Liaoning Province, Zeng Wei, Communist Party Secretary of Shenyang Municipality, and Shenyang Mayor Chen Haibo, ROK’s former Prime Minister Kim Suk-soo and representatives of ROK enterprises operating in Beijing and Shenyang.

* During the ROK-Shenyang Week, local residents and businesspeople from the ROK take part in various economic, cultural and sporting programs along with locales to promote their friendship and cooperation. The event has been co-hosted by the government of Shenyang City and the ROK Consulate General in Shenyang on an annual basis since 2002.

2. During his visit to Shenyang, Minister Bark will meet leading local officials, including Wang Min, Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party, Governor Chen Zhenggao of Liaoning Province, and Zeng Wei, Communist Party Secretary of Shenyang Municipality. In the meetings, the two sides will discuss ways to boost ROK-Liaoning and ROK-Shenyang cooperation in economy and trade.

3. With regard to a possible ROK-China FTA, Minister Bark will meet with local businesspeople from the ROK to learn about their difficulties and exchange views in this regard.

                             Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation