1. In their summit meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, on September 6, President Moon Jae-in and President Putin agreed to establish an ROK-Russia forum for provincial cooperation in 2018.

o The forum, to be launched next year, will bring together eight metropolitan and provincial governments of the ROK -- Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and Jeollabuk-do -- and Russia’s provincial governments that belong to the Far Eastern Federal District.

2. The ROK-Russia forum for provincial cooperation will focus on increasing trade and investment through trade fairs and investment briefings, and enhancing exchanges and cooperation in a range of areas, including transportation, tourism, culture, art and education, between the ROK’s provincial governments and Russia’s provincial governments belonging to the Far Eastern Federal District.

3. The launch of the bilateral forum for provincial cooperation next year is expected to further expand mutually-beneficial cooperation between the provincial governments of the two countries, including finding new cooperation projects, sharing information on trade and investment, and establishing business networks between major economic organizations under the control of provincial governments.


* unofficial translation