1. The Foreign Ministry will hold a meeting on economic issues in North America at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the US on February 10. Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Tae-ho will preside over the meeting that will bring together deputy heads of the ROK Embassies and Consulates-General in the US, Canada and Mexico.

2. At the forthcoming meeting, the diplomats will comprehensively review economic and trade policies of the US; discuss ways to preemptively manage such risk factors as the US’ renegotiations on NAFTA and other trade agreements, exchange rate policy, import restrictions, and trade policy toward China, which could have impact on Korean companies’ economic activities; and explore the possibility of the ROK forging mutually beneficial economic partnership with the US.

3. During his visit to the US, Deputy Minister Lee will hold a meeting with local Korean entrepreneurs to learn about their challenges and seek ways for the private and public sectors to jointly address them. He will also meet with officials of the Department of State, the US Trade Representative (USTR) and other members of the administration as well as those at Washington DC-based think tanks, and exchange views with them on ways to step up economic cooperation between the ROK and the US.


* unofficial translation