1. The government of the Republic of Korea has decided to send special envoys -- Representatives Woo Won-shik, Yu Eui-dong and Yun So-ha -- to the inauguration ceremony of President Ivan Duque of Colombia set to take place on August 7.

2. Colombia, the only Latin American country that fought alongside the ROK in the Korean War, is the ROK’s main ally. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1962, the two countries have been seeing close friendly and cooperative ties grow in various sectors, including political affairs, economy and culture.

° Since forging “strategic cooperative partnership” in 2011, the two countries have been stepping up cooperation in a mutually beneficial way and are expected to see substantive cooperation increase in diverse areas, including infrastructure, the e-procurement system, and health and medical care.

° On the back of the ROK-Colombia FTA in force since July 2016, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has been growing steadily.

※ In 2017, the ROK’s exports to Colombia (automobile parts, electronic devices, etc.) reached $814 mln, and imports from Colombia (mineral fuel, coffee, et al.) $651 mln.

3. The special envoys will also pay a courtesy call on President Duque to deliver President Moon Jae-in’s letter, in which he has expressed hope that the ROK and Colombia would overcome the geographical distance and continue to further enhance close friendly and cooperative relations between them.

* unofficial translation