1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the launching ceremony for the 2025 「Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) Young Leaders」on Friday, May 9, at the Mofamaru Hall of the Ministry.

* FEALAC, composed of 36 member countries, is an inter-regional multilateral forum launched in 1999 with the aim of promoting better understanding between East Asia and Latin America. Korea has played an active role by hosting and operating the FEALAC Cyber Secretariat since 2011 and leading the establishment of the FEALAC Cooperation Fund.

2. Now in its 7th term, the FEALAC Young Leaders is a multinational youth supporters program launched by the Korean government in 2019 to enhance cooperation among youth from East Asia and Latin America. The Young Leaders will participate in diplomatic events and activities related to FEALAC and Latin America and conduct various activities both online and offline including event coverage, blog promotion, and card news creation.

3. This year’s recruitment for the Young Leaders drew around 340 applicants from universities and graduate schools, resulting in a competitive ratio of 14:1. Ultimately, 24 young individuals from nine FEALAC member countries — Korea, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar — were selected as members of the “7th FEALAC Young Leaders.”

4. With Mongolia newly selected as the Regional Coordinator for East Asia last March and the 10th FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in Mongolia later this year, FEALAC-level cooperation is expected to become more active in 2025. The FEALAC Young Leaders is anticipated to contribute to raising public awareness of cooperation between East Asia and Latin America and promoting youth exchange.

* FEALAC member countries select one Regional Coordinator from each region by consensus. The Regional Coordinators carry out various roles to facilitate the operation of FEALAC, including hosting meetings such as the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

- Current Regional Coordinators: ▴(East Asia) Mongolia (2025-) ▴(Latin America) Dominican Republic (2018-)

5. In his welcoming remarks, Lee Jooil, Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recommended that, as many FEALAC events are scheduled for this year, the FEALAC Young Leaders as citizen diplomats actively contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two regions as well as to revitalizing FEALAC.

6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to actively support the youth so that they can experience vibrant diplomatic activities and gain knowledge of diplomacy in Latin America through their diverse roles as the FEALAC Young Leaders.