1. The Foreign Ministry dispatched a delegation to Mexico and Brazil to promote exchanges and cooperation in the field of industry-university collaboration between the Republic of Korea and the two Latin American member states of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). The delegation visited the Latin American countries from November 23 through 29.

◦ The delegation was led by Deputy Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Lim Ki-mo of the Foreign Ministry, and composed of other relevant officials of the Ministry as well as experts of leading organizations in the field of industry-university collaboration.

2. During its visit to Mexico from November 23 through 25, the delegation, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the National System of Technological Institutes and the National Association of Polytechnic Universities of Mexico, held an ROK-Mexico FEALAC seminar on industry-university collaboration. The group also visited the Polytechnic University of Pachuca and the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) to discuss ways to work more closely together in the field, including joint research and exchanges between academics and think tanks of the two countries.

3. In Brazil from November 26 through 29, the delegation, together with Brazil’s national association of polytechnic institutes and national association of universities in collaboration with the industrial sector, held an ROK-Brazil FEALAC seminar on industry-university collaboration at Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo. In addition, the group visited the State University of Campinas and the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) to discuss ways for the two countries to advance the global model of industry-university collaboration and paved the way for cooperation between the relevant academic circles of the two countries.

4. At the seminars on industry-university collaboration in Mexico and Brazil, the ROK delegation introduced to the countries the outstanding models of collaboration set by universities at home and built networks with relevant people from the public and private sectors of the two countries, laying the groundwork for the implementation of the global model of industry-university collaboration in Latin America.

◦ In their opening remarks and presentations, participants from Mexico and Brazil voiced hope to hold the seminar on a regular basis, saying that it would help accelerate the cultivation of relevant experts and technical innovation as well as achieve economic development similar to that of the ROK.

5. The visit of the delegation to the Latin American countries is seen to have served as an opportunity to promote academic cooperation between the ROK and the Latin American countries that has remained relatively slow through active use of the multilateral consultative mechanism of FEALAC and to highlight industry-university collaboration as a new cooperation agenda, thereby helping expand the ROK’s cooperative ties with the countries in a mutually beneficial way.

6. The ROK government has been playing a leading role in the development of FEALAC by serving as a Regional Coordinator of East Asia and a co-chair of one of its Working Groups, and hosting and operating the Cyber Secretariat. It will continue stepping up exchanges and cooperation with the FEALAC member states by holding seminars in the field of industry-university collaboration, among others. 

                     Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation