Korea to hold culture ministers' talks with 7 S. Asian countries this week

The culture ministers of South Korea and seven South Asian countries will hold their second round of talks this week in the southwest city of Gwangju to agree on enhancing cultural cooperation among them, South Korean officials said Monday.

During the one-day talks on Thursday, South Korean Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok and his counterparts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are scheduled to adopt a joint communique on an action plan in relation to what was agreed in the first round of talks that the eight countries held in 2014.

The communique is expected to call for efforts and cooperation to hold a South Korea-South Asia cultural festival, preserve and well-utilize cultural assets, exchange cultural experts and regularize meetings of cultural ministers.

Also a key purpose of the talks is to strengthen cooperation in culture and arts between South Korea and South Asia through the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, which opened in November last year. (Yonhap)