1. Mr. Jo Yung-joon, Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, held the 7^th meeting of the Republic of Korea-Republic of Ecuador Joint Committee with Ms. Laura Donoso, Undersecretary for Africa, Asia and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Quito, Ecuador, on January 20. The two sides assessed the ROK-Ecuador relations, and discussed economic and trade cooperation; infrastructure and investment; development cooperation; educational cooperation; cultural cooperation; and the current situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Latin America.

2. Director-General Jo took note that Ecuador, as the ROK’s traditional ally, has maintained close and cooperative relations, and stressed that former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s official visit to Ecuador in May last year provided a turning point in taking the bilateral relations to a higher level.

o In particular, Director-General Jo hoped that substantive cooperation in the infrastructure sector will further increase, and asked for the Ecuadorian government’s cooperation in ensuring the smooth conclusion of the contract on the Manta Airport operation project, being pursued by the Korea Airports Corporation.

o The Ecuadorian side introduced major government-led infrastructure projects in a range of areas, including solar power and railway projects, and asked for further participation of Korean companies.

3. The Ecuadorian side said that the ROK’s development cooperation is contributing significantly to the development of Ecuador, and the two sides agreed to further strengthen and diversify cooperation in renewable energy as well as sharing the ROK’s experience of economic development, and educational cooperation, including expanding training programs for foreign students.

o In addition, the two sides discussed ways to step up consular cooperation, including the conclusion of the treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, as well as maritime security cooperation. They also agreed to expand cooperation in responses to climate change, including the 2^nd P4G Summit to be hosted by the ROK this year.

o The two sides said that an art exhibition of Guayasamín to be held in Seoul in the second half of this year will serve as an opportunity to facilitate two-way cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries.

4. At the luncheon hosted by Mr. Cristian Espinosa, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, after the Joint Committee meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the current situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, as well as those in Ecuador and Latin America, and agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on the global stage.

5. The 7^th meeting of the Joint Committee, held two years after the 6^th meeting (March 2018, Quito), is seen to have served as an opportunity to review the overall ROK-Ecuador relations, which have taken a leap forward following former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s official visit to Ecuador in May last year, and to explore ways to strengthen substantive cooperation between the two countries.