Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul hosted a reception for the heads of missions of the Latin American and Caribbean Diplomatic Corps on May 20, during which he explained the Korean government’s policy direction towards Latin America and the Caribbean and exchanged views on expanding cooperation between Korea and the region.

※ The participants included the heads of missions from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

In his welcoming remarks, Minister Cho expressed his pleasure at hosting a series of receptions dedicated to enhancing the relationship with each regional diplomatic corps in Korea starting with the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), especially given that Latin America and the Caribbean is a major destination for Korean companies. Reflecting on the relationship between Korea and Latin America and the Caribbean, which traces back to when Korean emigrants first moved to Mexico in 1905, Minister Cho emphasized that the people of Latin America and the Caribbean have always been trustworthy friends that demonstrated strong bonds of friendship and solidarity with Korean people.

Furthermore, Minister Cho mentioned that Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of which all countries supported Korea during the Korean War, and highlighted how this strong bond of friendship has facilitated the expansion of exchanges and cooperation between Korea and Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in new domains such as the defense industry, aerospace, and electric and hydrogen vehicles.

In particular, Minister Cho noted that Korea’s recent establishment of official diplomatic relations with Cuba in February, the only country in the region without diplomatic ties with Korea until then, consummated Korea’s diplomatic network with Latin American and Caribbean states. He expressed hope for the continued expansion of mutually beneficial and forward-looking cooperation between Korea and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Minister Cho anticipated that under these circumstances, the Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum scheduled for June would be an excellent opportunity to explore various cooperation measures between Korea and the region. He also hoped for further expansion of cooperation on the occasion of the G20 and APEC summits which will take place in Latin America in November.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Kosmas of Panama, who serves as head of the Latin American and Caribbean Diplomatic Corps in Korea, expressed his gratitude for inviting diplomats from the Latin American and Caribbean region to the first reception for the diplomatic corps in Korea.  Ambassador Kosmas emphasized that Latin American and the Caribbean, a market of 600 million people, hold significant potential for cooperation in food and resource security, and expressed hope for continued expansion of cooperation between Korea and the region based on mutually complementary economic structures.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue exploring cooperation projects through communication with the diplomatic corps in Korea.