1. The government of the Republic of Korea will dispatch the floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, Representative Won Yoo-chul, as special envoy of the President to the inauguration ceremony of incoming President Jimmy Morales of Guatemala, set for January 14.

2. After the inauguration ceremony of new President Morales, special envoy Won will meet with top-level officials of the new Guatemalan government to relay the willingness of President Park Geun-hye and the ROK government to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

◦ The ROK government has chosen floor leader Won Yoo-chul as special envoy of the President to the presidential inaugural ceremony of Guatemala, the ROK’s traditional friend, as it seeks to relay its strong willingness to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries by sending a ranking figure to the event.

- Guatemala has consistently supported the ROK government’s position on the North Korean nuclear issue and inter-Korean relations. On the heels of North Korea’s fourth nuclear test, the country issued a statement on January 6, strongly condemning it.

3. The ROK and Guatemala have enjoyed friendship and cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy and development cooperation, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1962. The two countries, Regional Coordinators for East Asia and Latin America, respectively, of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) from 2015 to 2017, are playing pivotal roles in promoting understanding and cooperation between East Asian and Latin American countries.

* The ROK and Guatemala are seeking an ROK-Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama) FTA and held two rounds of negotiations in 2015.


* unofficial translation