1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and ICT will co-host a “Korea-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) Digital Cooperation Forum” under the theme of “Partnership towards Digital Innovation and Inclusiveness” at the Lotte Hotel Seoul from March 17 to 18.

2. The forthcoming Forum is the first international conference in the digital area to be hosted by the Korean government since its announcement of the comprehensive plan for the Korean New Deal Initiative. The Korean government plans to seek to globalize the Korean New Deal policy to LAC through government-wide cooperation.

3. For the Forum, which will be held in a hybrid online and offline format, eight minister- and vice-minister-level officials from five LAC countries, including ministers of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Brazil and Colombia, will visit Korea. In addition, nine high-level officials from seven countries -- Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Chile, Colombia and Argentina -- will virtually deliver presentations and join discussions.

° From the Korean side, officials and experts of government agencies, public organizations and relevant companies will participate in the Forum. The participants will include officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Korea Information Society Development Institute, the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation, the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, Korea Land and Geospatial Informatrix Corporation (LX), and LG CNS.

° In addition, government agencies, experts and regional organizations related to digital transformation in 33 LAC countries will view and take part in online discussions in real time.

4. The opening ceremony on March 17, the first day of the Forum, will feature opening remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong, welcoming remarks by Minister of Science and ICT Choi Kiyoung, and congratulatory remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica Rodolfo Solano, followed by presentations and discussions on “Korea-LAC Cooperation on Digital Transformation for Building Back Better and Preparing for the Future” in Session 1 and on “5G Network – Benefits and Opportunities of the 5G Era” in Session 2.

° On March 18, the second day of the Forum, the participants will discuss “Digital Government and Cyber Security – Integrating Digital Government Services and Tackling the Challenges of Cyber Security” in Session 3 and “Smart Cities and Smart Farms- Futuristic Vision of Urban Spaces and Agriculture Based on ICT” in Session 4.

5. The Forum will serve as an opportunity to share with LAC the values of innovation and inclusiveness in the digital field, one of Korea’s strong areas, to meet LAC countries’ requests for cooperation, and to support Korean companies’ bids to build presence in LAC.

° Moreover, the visit to Korea by high-level officials of LAC countries despite the COVID-19 situation demonstrates their will to cooperate actively with Korea and is expected to contribute greatly to advancing Korea-LAC relations by boosting in-person diplomacy toward LAC.

6. The Forum, in strict compliance with the COVID-19 quarantine requirements, will be held with a limited number of on-site registrants and in-person participants. For those wishing to watch the Forum, it will be available for viewing online in real time after registration at the website of the Korea-LAC Digital Cooperation Forum at k-lacdcf.or.kr.

° More details regarding the Forum are available on the Forum’s Instagram page at ⓐk_lacdcf and Kakao Talk channel at 2021 Korea-LAC Digital Cooperation Forum.