1. An interagency delegation of government officials and experts dispatched by the Foreign Ministry 
is visiting Peru, Venezuela and Panama on December 4-11. The delegation aims at strengthening 
cooperation with the Latin American middle powers in a future-oriented manner by sharing the Republic 
of Korea’s development experience and seeking out new promising areas of cooperation, including 
e-government, education, science, technology and the knowledge sharing program.

° The delegation is holding a cooperation forum with each of its host countries.

° The delegation, led by MOFAT’s Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Jang 
Keun-ho, consists of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Public 
Administration and Security, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology as well as 
experts from the Korea Development Institute and the Korea Foundation.

2. In Venezuela, the second destination of its tour, the delegation held a ROK-Venezuela Cooperation 
Forum on December 7 with some 70 relevant officials from Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry, Presidential 
Office, Hydrocarbon Association, and Culture Ministry. In the Forum, the participants exchanged views 
on matters of mutual concern, including the two countries’ experience in economic development, 
e-government, education, science, technology, and participation in infrastructure and plant projects 
in Venezuela.

° The Venezuelan side requested that the ROK take an active part in the country’s energy development 
projects, including the increased production of crude oil and natural gas, and the expansion of the oil-
refining industry.

° The Venezuelan side also voiced expectation for ROK companies to participate in its projects to 
construct housing, parks, and the world’s largest square.

3. The top delegate and MOFAT’s Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Jang 
Keun-ho met with Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, Executive Vice President of Andean Development 
Corporation (CAF), on December 7 for discussion on ways for the ROK to support Latin America’s 
development efforts. Also, the two sides signed the ROK-CAF Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 
on the Internship Exchange Program, which calls for dispatching a college-student intern to CAF every 
six months, starting from the first half of next year.

4. Cooperation between the ROK and Venezuela has lately been increasing in a mutually beneficial 
manner, as can be seen by Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-shin’s visit to the country, the envisioned 
presentation of a bilateral Friendship Bell, and the opening of the Seoul branch of the Venezuelan state-
owned petroleum company (PDVSA). The delegation’s visit to Venezuela is seen to have served as an 
important opportunity to seek out new areas of cooperation as well as other fields of mutual interest, in 
line with such a cooperative trend.

* With the signing of the aforementioned MOU, the number of the Latin American organizations that 
serve as the destinations for the ROK government’s intern dispatch program, in place since 2009, has 
now been increased from eight to nine.

                     Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation