1. A delegation from the Republic of Korea has visited Mexico to build a cooperative network with the Mexican government on the e-government system and share the relevant policies of the two countries. The delegation was composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan City, and the National Information Society Agency.

2. At the meeting of the Network of e-Government Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean (RED GEALC), which was held on October 26, local time, bringing together delegates from 33 Latin American countries, the ROK held a session on e-government and explained the ROK’s e-government system, drawing acclaim from the Latin American countries. The session marked the only one held by a non-member of the RED GEALAC.

◦ Before the opening of the meeting, a high-ranking official of the ROK Ministry of the Interior in charge of personal information protection policy met with Mexico’s Secretary of Public Administration Virgilio Andrade.

- Secretary Andrade attached great significance to the attendance of the ROK, an advanced country in the e-government field and information technology (IT) powerhouse, at the RED GEALC meeting; and proposed that the ROK and Mexico work together in this e-government field with numerous mutual benefits and great potential for cooperation.

- The high-level official from the ROK Ministry of the Interior, welcoming Secretary Andrade’s proposal, suggested that the two countries, by concluding a bilateral memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the e-government system, pave the way for enhanced cooperation and advances in the field of e-government.

◦ At the official dinner for the participants of the RED GEALC meeting, Secretary Andrade reiterated willingness to achieve more mutually beneficial advances in promising areas of cooperation related to the e-government system.

◦ In his congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony of the RED GEALC meeting, the ROK’s Ambassador to Mexico Chun Bee-ho attached significance to the ROK delegation’s attendance at the meeting in 2015, “the year of Latin America” declared by the ROK; and expressed hope that the meeting would serve as an opportunity for the ROK, which ranked first in the UN’s E-government Survey for three times in a row, to share with the Latin American countries its IT experiences and knowhow in providing open data services and managing public security, disasters, the National Computing and Information Service and transportation.

- The Ambassador also explained that currently, the ROK, under its new e-government paradigm called “Government 3.0,” is actively disclosing public information and is providing relevant services in a way that is tailored to the needs of the people.

3. On October 27, a forum on the ROK-Mexico e-government cooperation took place, where five of the ROK’s outstanding systems, including the cyber security system of the National Computing and Information Service and the public security management system, were introduced. The Mexican government explained its plan to advance its e-government system.

◦ The event brought together about 200 people, including those from the political and government sectors and business people of Mexico, which demonstrated Mexico’s keen interest in the ROK’s e-government system and IT projects.

◦ The ROK’s Ambassador to Mexico Chun and Javier Vargas, an under secretary of Mexico’s Ministry of Public Administration, signed the memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the e-government system between the ROK Ministry of the Interior and Mexico’s Ministry of Public Administration.

◦ The under secretary of Mexico mentioned that the ROK and Mexico have a common task to enhance the transparency and efficiency through their e-government systems; and voiced hope that under the MOU, Mexico will learn from relevant experiences and the knowhow of the ROK, a leader in the e-government field.

4. From 2003 to 2006, the ROK operated a center for IT cooperation with Mexico to help the country set up a mobile system for public services. The ROK also exported to Mexico its system for public security consultation in 2011 and its e-passport system in 2012.

◦ The dispatch of the delegation is expected to serve as an opportunity to further boost cooperation on the e-government system with Mexico and to set a model of e-government exports that are facilitated through private-public cooperation.


* unofficial translation