1. First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yong will attend the 12th meeting on dialogue and cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Central American Integration System (SICA) in Guatemala City on May 15. The meeting will cover ways to step up substantive cooperation between the ROK and the eight member states of SICA.

2. In the meeting, the two sides will review the progress in cooperation between the ROK and the Central American countries. They will also discuss matters of mutual concern in such sectors as public security, energy and infrastructure, as well as ways for the ROK to support Central America’s integration efforts.

◦ With regard to the public security issue, the resolution of which is one of the top-priority tasks necessary for the development of the SICA member states, the two sides will review the progress in the ongoing bilateral cooperation projects. The ROK side will also take the opportunity to learn about the direction that SICA wants to work with the ROK in down the road.

- With 250-odd Korean companies operating and some 12,000 Koreans residing in Central America, public security is important in terms of their safety. Accordingly, the ROK government has been holding seminars on public security cooperation with SICA and conducting programs designed to help relevant officials of Central American countries build capacity in the field.

◦ In terms of the energy and infrastructure sectors, the two sides will discuss ways to support bids of competitive relevant companies of the ROK to expand their presence in the Central American market as well as ways to resolve challenges facing those already operating in the region.

◦ In addition, the ROK delegation will touch upon the outcome of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) held in Busan in late March and the future plan for the ROK-IDB cooperation. It will also discuss its plan to implement development cooperation in a way that meets particular demands of Central America, as it aims to eradicate poverty and achieve socio-economic integration by advancing public security, healthcare, information and communications technology (ICT), agricultural and rural development, and industrial capability.

3. Vice Minister Cho, bringing attention to the completion of the ROK’s domestic procedure necessary for the declaration of the start of negotiations on an ROK-Central America FTA, will ask Central America to embark on the negotiations.

4. The Vice Minister will review the progress in the ROK-SICA cooperation on the international stage, speak about the ROK government’s policy and efforts for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and seek support from the SICA member states in that regard.

5. The meeting, which will come in the wake of President Park Geun-hye’s four-nation Latin America tour, is expected to serve as an opportunity for a consultation on specific ways to promote substantive cooperation between the ROK and the eight Central American countries. It is also expected to contribute to the ROK’s efforts to ensure the safety of the Korean residents in the region and to reinforce the foundation for Korean companies’ entry into the region.


* unofficial translation