1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, hosted the 2015 High-Level Forum on Korea-Latin America Partnership under the theme of “Strengthening Partnership, Enhancing Friendship” in Seoul on November 25.

2. The forum brought together about 600 people, including minister- and vice-minister-level officials from Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru and Chile; Ambassadors to the Republic of Korea from Latin American countries; the ROK’s government officials; and delegates from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korean Council on Latin America and the Caribbean, and the International Contractors Association of Korea. The forum consisted of three sessions on development cooperation, cooperation on infrastructure and cooperation on health and medical care, each of which featured presentations and discussions on each subject.

3. In his opening remarks, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, citing the Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) held in Busan in March; President Park Geun-hye’s tour of four Latin American countries in April, which marked the completion of the ROK’s summit diplomacy toward the Pacific Rim region; and the selection of the ROK as the host country of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in 2017, noted with appreciation that the ROK and Latin America engaged in numerous important matters in 2015, “the year of Latin America.” He proposed the three following ways to implement the ROK’s vision for its cooperation with Latin America, which had been presented by President Park Geun-hye at the IDB Annual Meeting in March.

◦ “Implementing economic cooperation in high value-added industries”: The ROK and Latin America should improve the quality of their cooperative ties by seeking cooperation in the fields of new growth engines that generate high added value, such as health and medical care, and bio-engineering.

◦ “Building infrastructure to enhance connectivity”: The two sides should enhance connectivity by building infrastructure for not only transportation, shipping and logistics but also for cyber space based on information and communications technology (ICT), as well as through FTAs.

◦ “Enhancing partnership on development cooperation”: The ROK, a successful model of development cooperation that transformed from a recipient country to a donor country of official development assistance (ODA), should share with Latin American countries experiences of its Saemaul Undong (new community movement) and knowhow in the sectors it has strength in, including education, science and culture.

4. In addition, Minister Yun pointed out that the international community currently faces more multiple challenges than ever before in economy and security. He added that despite the positive changes in Latin America, including the restoration of the US-Cuba diplomatic relations, the progress in democracy through elections, and the continued growth of economy and the middle class, the region faces various challenges, such as border and maritime disputes among some countries in the region, the refugee issue in Cuba and Haiti, and the economic structure exceedingly centered on the primary industries. He stressed that the ROK intends to be a reliable friend to Latin American countries as they work to overcome such challenges.

5. In the session on development cooperation, chaired by the ROK’s Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Shin Dong-ik, the Honduran Minister of Planning, Budget and Coordination, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Integration, and Economic Development of El Salvador, and the Bolivian Ambassador to the ROK delivered presentations on development cooperation between the ROK and Latin America. The presenters expressed hope that the ROK will share with Latin American countries its experiences of Saemaul Undong; that the ROK will render assistance on development for Central American integration; and that the cooperative ties between the ROK and Latin America will advance in a mutually beneficial way based on their mutual complementariness.

6. In the session on infrastructure cooperation, chaired by the ROK’s First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Costa Rican Minister of Public Works and Transport as well as the Mexican and Paraguayan Ambassadors to the ROK delivered presentations on projects to improve the transportation system; to vitalize public transportation; and to improve port facilities, expressing hope for closer cooperation with the ROK in these fields. In particular, they noted that it is promising for Korean companies to expand their presence in projects related to roads, ports and tourism facilities through public private partnerships (PPPs).

7. In the session on cooperation on health and medical care, chaired by a high-level official of the ROK’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Peruvian Deputy Minister of Health and the head of the Chilean national medicines agency gave presentations on their respective countries’ policies on health, medical care and pharmaceuticals, including Peru’s medical reform, through which a system for universal medical protection has been set up and the access to key pharmaceutical products has been guaranteed; and Chile’s efforts to establish a system for financial protection for high-cost medical care. The presenters also voiced hope to work with the ROK in these fields.

8. For the High-Level Forum on Korea-Latin America Partnership, which marked the eighth of its kind in 2015 since the first held in 2008, areas with great potential for the ROK-Latin America cooperation have been selected, and minister- and vice-minister-level officials from Latin American countries as well as Korean experts in those fields have been invited for discussions on ways to promote relevant cooperation between the two sides. The forum has thereby established itself as an authoritative mechanism for dialogue between the two regions.

9. In particular, in the 2015 round, the participants discussed specific ways to implement substantive cooperation on not only development assistance -- a traditional area of cooperation between the ROK and Latin America -- but also infrastructure as well as health and medical care, the sectors whose great potential for cooperation had been affirmed during President Park Geun-hye’s visit to four Latin American countries in April 2015. Accordingly, the 2015 forum is seen to have served as a valuable opportunity to broaden the scope of the ROK-Latin America cooperation and to seek ways to promote the bilateral cooperation in a mutually beneficial manner.


* unofficial translation