By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
South Korea and Panama agreed Saturday to make a joint effort to hold a summit between Korea and Latin American countries this year.
During a meeting with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan in Tokyo, Panamanian Foreign Minister and Vice President Juan Carlos Varela expressed hope that a summit between Korea and SICA member countries will be held in the first half of this year, a ministry official said.
The meeting took place on the sideline of the fourth Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) participated in by 34 countries in the region.
Panama, the southernmost country in Central America, is the chair of the eight-member Central American Integration System (SICA) this year.
The Panamanian minister said that Minister Yu gave a positive response and proposed having a discussion on an "appropriate date."
"Details of the date and venue will be determined through further consultation," the official said, asking not to be identified.
The entity of the Central American countries was established in December 1991 and formally came into operation two years later.
Members include Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
They seek to achieve regional peace and economic integration, and have a coordinated voice within the international society.
Korea had the first summit with SICA member states in Guatemala in 1996 during the Kim Young-sam administration. The second round was held in Costa Rica in 2005 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Panamanian Minister Varela asked for Korean companies' brisk participation in economic projects such as developing a copper mine in Panama, the official said.
He expressed his willingness to visit Korea this year.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the FEALAC forum, Minister Yu promised to give strong consideration to demands and interests from FEALAC members in the G20 Summit slated for November in Seoul.