David Yang of Shin & Kim spoke at a seminar organized by HKIAC in Bogota on March 19-20 of 2013 titled “Asia – Latin America: Arbitrating across Cultures”, where he discussed the importance of East Asia – Latin American partnership and cultural issues that may have an impact on international arbitration between such parties. Other speakers in the panel included Ms. Sally Harpole (a well-known arbitrator in East Asia), Mr. Dietmar Prager (Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York), Mr. Cameron Hassal (Partner at Clifford Chance in Hong Kong), and Ms. Chian Bao (HKIAC’s Secretary General).

Following the seminar Mr. Yang was interviewed by El Tiempo, the main newspaper in Colombia (see below the full page article published on March 28, 2013). In the interview Mr. Yang described Koreans as trustworthy business partners and the “Latinos” of East Asia with passion for life, and stated that as the economic cooperation between Korea and Latin America continues expanding, the role of regional experts will become increasingly important in both business negotiations and dispute resolution.

Thanks to ten years of political stability, Colombia now provides an excellent environment for investments and it is very active with infrastructure projects. With the recent signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and Korea (officially signed on March 21, 2013), the presence of the Korean business community in Colombia is expected to grow sharply.