12 November 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez was a special guest at the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 Seoul Conference on Trade and Industry that was hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the influential Korea International Trade Association (KITA) on November 10 at the Nine Tree Gran Seoul Convention Center, Gwanghamun, Seoul.

This year’s conference brought together over 500 delegates from the World Trade Organization (WTO), diplomatic missions, relevant government agencies, trade and industry sectors and international research institutions.

In their welcome remarks during the Opening Ceremony, the Honorable Sang-jick Yoon, Minister of MOTIE and Mr. In-Ho Kim, Chairman and CEO of KITA expressed hope that the conference would enhance understanding of the new global economic order and the changing landscape of trade negotiations.  Deputy Director General Yonov Frederick Agah of the WTO delivered congratulatory remarks during the event.

Pursuant to the theme of the conference focusing on a “New Paradigm for the World Trading System”, plenary sessions were held where eminent trade experts shared their perspectives on the global trend of Mega Free Trade Areas such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),  Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as well as the future direction of these Mega Free Trade Areas. END