By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The government will host a forum to discuss ways to enhance cooperation with five Central Asian countries in Seoul on Dec. 2, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Thursday.

About 400 local and foreign figures from various walks of life will participate in the event and discuss how to strengthen ties, a ministry official said.

The forum, the third of its kind, will begin with an opening speech by Kwon Jong-rak, the first vice foreign minister, and keynote speeches by chief delegates from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The one-day forum will focus on ways to strengthen competitiveness, create a new growth engine and exchange human resources, the official said.

The next day, delegates from the Central Asian countries will join a forum on investment hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries and visit Songdo City in Incheon, he said.

The official said this year's forum will likely boast twice as many participants as last year's event held in Jeju.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr