Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin strengthens relations during his visit to France

Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin held during his visit to France to participate in the Paris Peace Forum Meetings Key talks with African leaders, seeking support for Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.

In the course of his meetings, Minister Park met with the President of Ghana, the President of the Kenyan Senate and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Uganda. During these talks, various areas of bilateral cooperation were discussed and views were exchanged on enhancing substantive cooperation between Korea and these African countries.

In particular, Park Jin invited African leaders to attend the Korea-Africa Summit scheduled to be held in 2024. Moreover, he highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, development cooperation and infrastructure construction.

In her meeting with Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Park expressed satisfaction at the deepening of bilateral talks and conveyed President Akufo-Addo’s gratitude to President Yeon Suk-yeol for hosting a lunch during the UN General Assembly in September.

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Cooperation between Korea and Ghana has been highlighted as positive, covering areas such as international scene, economy, trade, development cooperation and infrastructure construction. The two parties agreed to enhance this cooperation in various sectors.

Moreover, during his meeting with the President of the Kenyan Senate, Amason Kenji, Minister Park expressed his desire to deepen substantive cooperation, especially in areas of interest to Kenya, such as vocational and technical training, response to climate change and health. The Korean government’s desire to implement infrastructure projects beneficial to the Kenyan population was highlighted, supported by the US$1 billion Export Development Fund Framework Agreement.

Park also met with Oryem Henry Okello, Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, where opportunities for cooperation in regional development, education and infrastructure were discussed. The two sides expressed their intention to enhance economic cooperation, while taking advantage of the complementary structures of the Korean and Ugandan economies.

These meetings confirm Korea’s commitment to strengthening relations with major African countries, and serve as preparation for the Korea-Africa summit scheduled to be held next year.