1. The “Arctic Circle Korea Forum,” co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Arctic Circle Secretariat*, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Polar Research Institute, and the Korea Maritime Institute, will take place at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, from December 7 till 8.

o At the forum, Chairman of the Arctic Circle Olafur Ragnar Grimsson (former President of the Republic of Iceland) will give opening remarks, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will deliver addresses. The forum will bring together about 300 people, including government officials from Arctic countries, as well as representatives from Arctic-related companies and research institutes in the Republic of Korea and abroad.

* The Arctic Circle is the largest forum on Arctic issues which has been held every year in Iceland since 2013. The Arctic Circle Secretariat is located in Iceland.

2. The two-day forum will be held under the theme “Asia meets the Arctic: Science, Connectivity and Partnership.”

o On December 7, the first day of the forum, experts will make presentations on ways to work together in the areas of scientific research, climate change, energy, shipping, and infrastructure in the Arctic under the theme of Arctic science and Arctic innovation.

o On December 8, the second day of the forum, experts from Northeast Asian countries, including the ROK, the People’s Republic of China, and Japan, will discuss Arctic policies, and the way forward for cooperation with the Arctic Council and Arctic countries.

- They will also discuss Arctic cooperation from the perspectives of Arctic countries, including Iceland, the next chair of the Arctic Council, as well as the Arctic Council observers from Europe, including the EU and the Republic of Poland.

- As part of the forum, the participants will be given an opportunity to visit the Korea Polar Research Institute, which, as an organization carrying out the ROK’s national polar research programs, operates icebreaking research vessels and research stations in Antarctica and the Arctic. The ROK side will make active efforts to raise their awareness of the substantive contribution the ROK is making in responding to Arctic issues, including climate change and environmental conservation, through scientific research.

3. The upcoming Arctic Circle Forum, which marks the first one in Northeast Asia, is expected to help strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Arctic countries and Arctic-related major organizations and companies, and to become a meaningful forum for dialogues that contributes to expanding cooperation to build presence in the Arctic region.

o In particular, as the forum will take place in conjunction with the “Arctic Partnership Week,” to be held at BEXCO in Busan from December 10 till 14, it is expected to contribute to elevating the ROK’s status as a responsible Arctic cooperation partner.

* unofficial translation