A business forum was held earlier this week in Vientiane to explore ways to strengthen partnerships among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) among South Korea and the five countries along the Mekong River -- Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam -- Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The 12th Mekong-ROK Business Forum took place in the Laotian capital on Tuesday, with over 100 government officials and business representatives from the countries. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. The participants shared information on the current state of the SME markets and discussed strategies for SME capacity building through digital transformation and eco-friendly innovation, the ministry said in a release. In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won emphasized that 99 percent of Mekong firms are SMEs, which play a crucial role in the region's economy. He also noted that over the past decade, this forum has functioned as an initiative for economi c cooperation between South Korea and the Mekong countries, and reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to strengthening cooperation. The annual forum, inaugurated in 2013, is seen as an opportunity to enhance cooperative momentum with the Mekong region, which has significant growth potential, and to support South Korean SMEs exploring business opportunities in the region, the ministry said. Source: Yonhap News Agency