Above: CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

By the Caribbean Journal staff

CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque has begun an official visit to South Korea.

While in the country, LaRocque will attend the Second High-Level Forum on Korea-Caribbean Partnershipo, which will begin in Seoul on Tuesday, and address CARICOM Day celebrations being held in the city of Yeosu.

At least 10 CARICOM Member States will participate in the forum, which is at the ministerial level. The meeting seeks to find “practical and productive ways” for increasing cooperation between Korea and the region.

The meeting follows the First High-Level Forum, which was held in South Korea in

CARICOM’s imports from South Korea stood at $120.7 million in 2010. CARICOM’s exports to the country, however, have dropped from $239.4 million in 2008 to $77.7 million in 2010.

South Korea has been following the lead of China, which has been ramping up its investment in the Caribbean.

The first forum took place in October 2011; it was attended by Caribbean leaders including Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer.