Secretary General Prof. Norman Girvan, left, presents the ACS yearbook to Mr. Eui-Seung Hwang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Korea.

The effort, to be coordinated by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Caracas, Venezuela, will initially provide for approximately 15 trainees. Although envisioned for representatives of the private sector, at the request of the Secretary General, the Korean Government could consider the participation of officials from public sector agencies, particularly those responsible for the development of small and medium enterprises and for trade promotion.

According to Mr. Hwang, the Korean Government has been impressed by the success of such a young organization as the ACS and would greatly welcome the Association's inputs in this matter. His country has had relations with the region since the 1960's, which it is now keen on strengthening.

The Republic of Korea, an ACS Observer country, recently approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ACS in the field of natural disasters.

The Secretary General welcomed the Korean initiative and suggested that other areas of future cooperation could be transport and the promotion of Korean tourism to our region. In this respect, as an organization comprising 28 Member States and Associate members from the entire Greater Caribbean, the Association of Caribbean States can be a powerful tool for extraregional countries seeking to expand cooperation in the region.

Mr. Hong of the Embassy of Korea in Caracas and Dr. Park Sun-Tae, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade accompanied Mr. Hwang.