1. The 2012 High-Level Forum on ROK-LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) Partnership will take place in Seoul on May 15, with Vice Presidents and ministerial-level officials of six Latin American countries, high-ranking officials of international organizations and heads of state-run think tanks, including President Angelino Garzon of Colombia, Peru’s Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal and Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena of the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

° The Forum has been held annually since 2008, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, to seek ways to promote substantive cooperation between the two regions and to facilitate ROK companies’ entry into the Latin American market.

2. In the 2012 Forum themed “Promotion of cooperation between the ROK and Latin American countries in the pan-Pacific era,” the high-level officials from six Latin American countries on the Pacific coast, including four “Pacific allies,” will focus on ways to increase substantive cooperation between the two regions.

° High-level participants will elaborate on ways of cooperation befitting the theme of the relevant session by citing specific cases from previous projects, followed by discussions on realistic measures with the ROK panelists.

° The participants will hold individual meetings with relevant government agencies and executives of ROK companies interested in entering the Latin American market to discuss in depth specific possible projects.

3. Latin America, a promising emerging market, is becoming one of the key trading and investment partners of the ROK, with the ROK recording trade surpluses with the region. The region is a promising investment destination for ROK companies due to its rich resources and stable economic growth.

4. The Forum will take place at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul. More relevant information is available at the Forum’s official website at www.klacforum.org or the Foreign Ministry’s Latin American and Caribbean Cooperation Division (Telephone #02-2100-8091).

                                      Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation