Deputy Minister of Industry & Commerce Johannes Kelner represented the Dominican Republic at the 2024 Korea-Latin America and the Caribbean Future Cooperation Forum that took place 10-14 June 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.
Ministry of Industry & Commerce Deputy Minister Johannes Kelner is in charge of efforts at the Ministry to prepare the country for the manufacturing of semiconductors. Kelner is in charge of Free Zones and Special Regimes at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Kelner participated closely with Korean officials and high-level officials from six Latin American countries, including Peru, Honduras, Chile, Guatemala, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and high-level officials from the OECD, as well as experts from the Korean government and academia. During the forum, the participants explored ways to strengthen partnerships for cooperation between Korea and Latin America amidst the rapidly changing international political and economic order.
This year’s forum was held under the theme “Co-prosperity and Strengthening the Economy.” Participants delved into practical cooperation measures in various fields to boost the economy.
Under the coordination of Dominican Ambassador Federico Cuello, Kelner took the opportunity to carry out networking and meetings with South Korean government agency officials and held several bilateral meetings to promote the Dominican Republic as an emerging destination for investment in the semiconductor industry.
During the welcome reception, attended by South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Kelner presented the interest of the DR in attracting South Korean investment. The Dominican Republic highlights it could enter the semiconductor supply chain with manufacturing in free zones. Kelner says the DR could supply items used in the final manufacturing stage of assembly, testing and packaging (ATP) of semiconductors and in the production of printed circuit boards (PCB), the medium used to connect or “wire” components to one another in a circuit.
Kelner also met with the vice minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups of Korea, Lee Daehi and the director of International Commerce and Cooperation, Sumin Park. He also met with vice president for Investment and Commerce of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy of Korea, Woo-Seok Choi.
Speaking at the Forum, Kelner stressed the sustained economic growth of the Dominican Republic, the country’s capacity to attract direct foreign investment and the opportunities offered by the free zone regime. He spoke of the political and economic stability that mark the Dominican Republic, the country’s strategic location with preferential access to international markets and its world-class logistics infrastructure.
As part of the mission, the Dominican Republic Embassy in South Korea participated in a workshop coordinated with the Korea Institute of Development (KDI) on instructions from MICM Minister Victor Bisonó that took advantage of the visit of Kelner to present the Dominican Republic as a destination for nearshoring for the semiconductor industry. 15 potential Korean investors in semiconductor manufacturing attended the workshop. The Knowledge Sharing Program of the KDI had presented in 2021 a diagnostic on the many challenges ahead if the Dominican Republic is to attract and retain Korean investment in semiconductor ATP and PCBs.
Kelner spoke at all times of the potential of the country to become a key player in the global chain of supply of semiconductors. Speaking to Korean business people, Kelner spoke of the potential of the country to become a key player in the global supply chain of semiconductors.
He mentioned the recent enactment of Decree 324-24 that declared the promotion, innovation and development of the semiconductor industry in the country.
The Ministry of Industry & Commerce is responsible for drafting the National Strategy for the Promotion of the Industry of Semiconductors (ENFIS) to position the Dominican Republic as a strategic, competitive, reliable and safe destination for the global industry of semiconductors.
In a subsequent interview with El Nuevo Diario, Kelner said that the Dominican Republic is concentrating on strengthening its logistics to take advantage of proximity and connectivity and preparing its human capital.
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Ministry of Industry & Commerce
2024 Korea-LAC Future Cooperation Forum
El Nuevo Diario
DR1 News
26 June 2024