CARICOM Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque is in the Republic of Korea on an official visit.
While in South Korea the Secretary-General will attend the Second High Level Forum on Korea-Caribbean Partnership to be held in Seoul tomorrow and he will also address CARICOM Day celebrations today at the 2012 World Exposition being held in Yeosu, South Korea, said a press release from the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen.
At least 10 CARICOM member states will participate in the Forum which is at the level of ministers.
The main objectives are to seek practical and productive ways for increasing cooperation between South Korea and the Caribbean states.
It is also geared towards sharing knowledge and experience in various areas ranging from E-government, and Marine Environment Management to new and renewable energy. The First Level Forum was also in South Korea in 2011.
The 2012 Yeosu World Expo is being held from May 12 to August 12, 2012 under the theme ‘Living Ocean and Coast – Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Resources’.
A total of one hundred and four countries are participating in the event, including from CARICOM.
The Secretary-General will visit industrial sites and have discussions with high level Korean Private Sector executives and he is also scheduled to meet with the South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Sung Hwan Kim.
CARICOM’s relations with South Korea have grown steadily since 2002, with the Community concluding a Technical Cooperation Agreement with that country in 2006.
During the period 2008-2010, CARICOM‘s imports from South Korea moved from US$159.3 Million in 2008 to US$99.2 Million in 2009. They increased to US$120.7 Million in 2010.
CARICOM exports, on the other hand, have dropped continuously over this period from US$239.4 Million in 2008 to US$135.1 Million in 2009 and US$77.7 Million in 2010, the release concluded.
