President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce Visits Busan … Mayor Park Hyung-jun Discusses Practical Cooperation Measures

President of Cuba Chamber of Commerce Visiting Korea for Seoul International Food Expo, Invited to Busan

Invited to Busan on the 2nd... Discussions on Cooperation in Culture, Tourism, Renewable Energy, and Human Exchange

Busan City will invite Antonio Luis Carricarte Corona, President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, who visited Korea to attend the 2023 Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, to Busan on the 2nd to discuss practical cooperation measures with Cuba.

Although Korea and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations, they have continuously expanded exchanges and cooperation mainly in non-political fields, such as opening a Korean trade office in Havana, the capital of Cuba, in 2005, and establishing a Korean Cultural Center and a Korean language school in August 2022.

Antonio Luis Carricarte Corona, who will visit Busan on this day, served as the President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce from 2000 to 2003, then worked as Vice Minister and First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade (MINCEX), and was reappointed as President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce in 2020.

The 2023 Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, attended by the President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and others visiting Korea this time, was held from May 31 to June 2 at KINTEX in Ilsan, hosted by KOTRA, with participation from 1,316 domestic and international food industry companies from 39 countries worldwide, sharing trends and innovation information in the global food industry.

The city invited the President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce to Busan on this occasion and plans to hold a welcome luncheon hosted by Mayor Park Hyung-joon, a visit to the EX THE SKY observatory, and an inspection of the North Port redevelopment site to discuss the city's charm and capabilities as well as practical cooperation measures with Cuba.

The welcome luncheon hosted by Mayor Park Hyung-joon will be held at noon on the 2nd at The Westin Josun Busan in Haeundae-gu. Mayor Park will personally preside over the luncheon and discuss with the President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and other attendees ways to revitalize economic cooperation between Busan and Cuba, as well as practical cooperation expansion in various fields such as culture, tourism, renewable energy, and human exchange.

In particular, Jang In-hwa, President of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who signed an agreement with the Cuban Chamber of Commerce in 2017 to promote economic cooperation, is also expected to attend the welcome luncheon, raising expectations for more in-depth discussions.

After the welcome luncheon, they will move to the EX THE SKY observatory to enjoy the beautiful view of Haeundae, fully experiencing the charm of the city of Busan. As the final schedule, they will tour the ‘North Port Redevelopment’ site, a major policy site of Busan, and listen to the city’s explanation of the project’s progress.

Mayor Park Hyung-joon stated, “As the Korean government aims to become a global hub country and strengthens practical cooperation with the Latin American region by holding forums such as the Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum, Busan will also take this opportunity of the visit by the President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce to advance toward a more practical and close cooperative relationship with Cuba.”