1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Tae-ho attended the 9^th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, on Saturday, November 9, under the slogan of “20 Years, New Action for a Better Future.” At the meeting, Vice Minister Lee suggested visions for the medium- and long-term development of FEALAC of which this year marks the 20^th anniversary of the establishment.

○ FEALAC is the sole multilateral inter-governmental consultative mechanism launched in 1999 with an aim to enhance cooperation and mutual understanding between East Asia and Latin America. The Republic of Korea (ROK) has actively contributed to the development of FEALAC such as holding the 8^th FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2017.

2. At the meeting, Vice Minister Lee, underscoring the importance of promoting cooperation between East Asia and Latin America through FEALAC, mentioned the need to hold a FEALAC Special Commemorative Summit. Furthermore, he delivered a presentation on the ROK’s plans for additional contributions to the FEALAC Trust Fund and suggested establishing a Steering Committee of the Business Forum.

○ The ROK also suggested a guideline for FEALAC cooperation projects aiming to facilitate a working group that serves as a basis for cooperation with FEALAC and thereby garnered support from the member states. In addition, the ROK was reappointed as a chair of the Steering Committee of the FEALAC Trust Fund (2019-2021 term).

3. At the 9^th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the member states adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo containing visions such as the consolidation of an institutional foundation, the expansion of substantive cooperation, and the promotion of regional connectivity and cooperation in addressing current global issues including trade, innovation, environment and sustainable growth of FEALAC of which this year marks the 20^th anniversary of the establishment. Throughout the consultations on the declaration text, the ROK played a key role in coordinating the statement.

4. On the sidelines of the meeting, Vice Minister Lee had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas of the Dominican Republic. The two sides discussed ways to expand substantive cooperation between the two countries, which is deepening in a range of areas.

5. As a valuable regional consultative mechanism for boosting cooperation between the ROK and Latin America, FEALAC is helping the ROK diversify diplomacy as well as strengthen its middle power diplomacy. The ROK government will continue to play its leading role at FEALAC.