From July 24 to 31, 2013 a NARS delegation from the Economy and Industry Research Office led by Bae Min Sik, researcher of the Industry and Resources Team, visited Belarus, Latvia and Finland to meet with key personnel in those countries.

The delegation's first destination was the Belarus House of Representatives, where they met with Mr. Koltunov Mikalai, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Economy and Policy; Mr. Kubrakova Liudmila and Mr. Voitov Igor, the Chairmen of the State Committee on Science and Technology. Following the visit, the delegation met with the head of the National Agency of Investment and Privatization.

In 2011, Belarus was on the verge of collapse with a soaring budget deficit and ongoing foreign exchange asset drainage. Recently, the country has shown a slow recovery, but is still struggling from financial crisis. Against this backdrop, Belarus determined to boost foreign investment. During the meeting with the NARS delegation, active discussion was held on Korean investment into the Belarusian economy and ways for Korean companies to enter the market. Moreover, as Belarus boasts advanced science technology including petrochemical technology, the two sides discussed ways and means for cooperation between Korea and Belarus in the science and technology sector. The National Science and Technology Committee showed great interest in the delegation's visit and even posted news about the meeting on its main website.

Following the visit to Belarus, the delegation visited Latvia and met with officials of Korean electronics companies and openly discussed the current status and challenges of Korean companies in Latvia.

On the final leg of the trip, the delegation went to Finland to visit the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Trade and Exports Center. KOTRA officials explained the current economic cooperation between Korea and Finland and ways to promote trade between the two countries. Finally, during the delegation's visit to the Helsinki City Hall, the city hall's director of urban planning and public design provided a detailed briefing on Helsinki's city planning