1. The 21st Meeting of the Korea-France Joint Committee of Economy will be held in Seoul on September 30.

° The Korean side will be led by MOFAT’s Deputy Minister for Trade Lee Si-hyung and include relevant officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trade, Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Intellectual Property Office, and Food and Drug Administration. Meanwhile, Benoit Coeure, Deputy Director-General of the Treasury of the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, will head the French delegation comprised of relevant officials from the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, Embassy in Korea and Trade Commission.

2. In the Meeting, the two sides will discuss in depth ways to boost investment and trade between Korea and France with a view to maximizing the effect of the Korea-EU FTA, provisionally effectuated on July 1, 2010; preparations for the G-20 Summit to be held in Cannes, France, from November 3 through 4 this year; means to overcome the ongoing economic crisis in the Eurozone; and the green-growth strategies of the two countries. In addition, they will exchange views on technical matters in the cosmetic and medicinal fields; import and export food safety management; and ways to work together in the intellectual property field.

° The Meeting is particularly expected to serve as a good opportunity to review changes, if any, in the trade between the two countries since the effectuation of the Korea-EU FTA and seek ways to maximize benefits from the Agreement, and to learn about France’s outlook for and countermeasures against the economic meltdown in the Eurozone.

3. The Korea-France Joint Committee of Economy convenes alternately in Korea and France in accordance with the “Korea-France Agreement on Economic Cooperation” signed and effectuated in April 1981 with the aim of promoting economic  --trade and investment – ties. The Committee’s 20th Meeting had taken place in Paris in December 2008.

                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation