1. The Foreign Ministry will host the “2016 Korea-Latin America Partnership: Towards a Shared Vision for Future Cooperation” event in Seoul from June 29 till July 1, bringing together high-level government officials from ten Latin American countries, academic experts, delegates from regional organizations and young Koreans who have successfully built their presence in Latin American countries.

2. The forthcoming three-day event subtitled “Opportunities and Challenges for Korea-Latin America Relations” will consist of an inter-governmental High-Level Forum on June 29; an academic Future Cooperation Forum on June 30; and a Youth Forum on July 1 -- a seminar on ways to support bids of young Koreans to build their presence in Latin America, through which to provide Korean youth with relevant, detailed information.

[Korea-Latin America High-Level Forum]

° The Korea-Latin America High-Level Forum is the signature inter-governmental forum on cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Latin America that has been hosted by the ROK Foreign Ministry on an annual basis since 2008. The Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Community as well as former and incumbent minister-level officials of major Latin American countries has been invited to the 2016 event for discussions on the dynamically changing situation in Latin America and new opportunities to be offered to the ROK.

° The forum participants will include such high-level figures from Latin America as Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan of the Ibero-American Community, the Mexican Minister of Public Administration, the Argentine Minister of Modernization, the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, the Governor of Tacna, Peru, and former Foreign Ministers of Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as three former and incumbent ROK Ambassadors to Latin American countries.

[Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum]

° At the first academic forum on Korea-Latin America future cooperation, Latin American studies scholars at home as well as Korea and East Asia experts from Latin America will discuss matters of mutual concern in such areas as political and social affairs, economy and culture as well as ways to work together in the future.

° Scholars and government officials from seven Latin American countries -- Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina -- will deliver presentations. Session moderators and presenters from the ROK will include top relevant academics from a number of universities, the Korean association of Spanish language and literature, the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), and the POSCO Research Institute.

[Youth Forum (Seminar on Ways to Support Korean Youth’s Bids to Build their Presence in Latin America)]

° The forthcoming Youth Forum will mark the first of its kind to be co-hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea. The event has been organized as an opportunity to inform the Korean youngsters, who are seeking to build their presence overseas, of the ROK government’s institutional measures to support their bids as well as an opportunity for those who have successfully done so to share their experiences with them.

° In particular, the Argentine Minister of Culture, a second-generation Korean who has successfully joined Argentina's mainstream society and become a high-level official of the country’s central government, will attend the event as a mentor for Korean youth and candidly share his experiences. In addition, Koreans who are working as businesspeople and in other professional fields in such countries as Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Brazil will also share their own life stories.

° At the seminar, information on various institutions that the ROK government has put in place to support bids of young Koreans to build their presence in Latin America -- internships at Latin America’s regional organizations, the working holiday program, the K-MOVE, etc. -- will be provided. In conjunction with the seminar, a session will take place on strategies for job search in Latin America.

3. The event is expected to serve as a good opportunity to analyze with experts from home and abroad the political and economic situations in Latin America that is standing at a turning point; to identify challenges and opportunities for the ROK; and draw up new ways for future cooperation with Latin America.

° In addition, at the event, substantial, up-to-date information will be provided to Korean enterprises and youngsters seeking to build their presence abroad, thereby helping prevent them from making relevant mistakes and prepare for employment in Latin America.

4. As a result of advance, on-line application for participation in the event, some 1,000 people, including experts in various sectors, entrepreneurs and graduate as well as under-graduate students are expected to participate in the event. For further details, visit the official website of the event at http://www.klacforum.org.


* unofficial translation