1. The Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will hold the “Foreign Ministry-GRULAC cooperation seminar and friendship night” at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on December 18.

※ GRULAC (Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries): a group of the diplomatic corps of Latin American countries which have permanent diplomatic missions in the Republic of Korea

o The event will consist of part 1 (seminar) and part 2 (friendship night) to review the progress in cooperation between the ROK and Latin America for the past one year, and to enhance relations between the Foreign Ministry, the GRULAC diplomatic corps in the ROK, and experts on Latin America.

2. The seminar will bring together representatives from Latin American diplomatic missions in the ROK, including ambassadors of seven Latin American countries in the ROK. Participants will assess the accomplishments in cooperation between the ROK and Latin America in 2018; explain the direction of the ROK government’s diplomacy towards Latin America being pursued in line with its policy for diplomatic diversification; and exchange views on ways to step up future-oriented cooperation.

o Officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND) will also attend the seminar. They will review the current state of cooperation between the ROK and Latin America in the transportation and urban construction sectors, and explain major cooperation projects that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KIND are carrying out overseas.

3. The friendship night event to be held after the seminar will be attended by about 90 people, including members of the Latin American diplomatic corps in the ROK, and officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and other relevant government agencies, as well as experts on Latin America and other related areas. At the event, they will be given an opportunity to better understand each other, and strengthen networks among them.

4. The upcoming event is expected to serve as a meaningful forum for dialogues to find out Latin American countries’ areas of interest regarding cooperative relations with the ROK, and to discuss ways to increase multi-faceted cooperation at various levels between the ROK and Latin America.

* unofficial translation