1. The opening ceremony of the “Korea-Africa Foundation” will take place at 18:00-19:20, June 25, in the “Community Chest of Korea” building that will house the Foundation. The event will bring together Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, lawmakers of ruling and opposition parties who are members of the National Assembly Forum for Africa's New Era, and diplomats from African countries to the Republic of Korea.

2. The “Korea-Africa Foundation” has been established pursuant to the “Korea-Africa Foundation act,” which, after ruling and opposition parties jointly proposed the enactment thereof, was proclaimed and brought into force in October 2017. The launch of the Foundation, the fourth subsidiary body the Foreign Ministry established 21 years after it had done its third to reflect the steadily growing importance of diplomacy toward Africa, carries significance in that it demonstrates the ROK government’s commitment to diversifying its diplomacy and beefing up its diplomatic infrastructure.

※ The Foreign Ministry’s affiliates are the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Foundation and the Overseas Koreans Foundation. The first two were established in 1991 and the other in 1997.

3. The “Korea-Africa Foundation” will conduct expert research and studies on Africa and will actively help Korean companies build presence in the region and help to boost exchanges and cooperation between the private sectors of the two sides. Furthermore, the body, in organic cooperation with other relevant organizations, is expected to serve as a platform for private-public cooperation on the ROK’s diplomacy toward Africa.

4. In particular, as youngsters are increasingly interested in Africa, as can be seen from the number of the World Friends Korea (WFK) volunteers in Africa standing at some 6,000, the Foundation will keep the window of communication with the youth open and actively conduct projects designed to help them build presence in Africa and take part in exchanges with the region.

° In a bid to step up communication with the youth, the Foundation will host at 17:00-18:00, the opening day, an event, titled “young Koreans and Africans design a co-prosperous future,” as an opportunity for young Koreans, who have been to Africa, and African youngsters staying in the ROK to communicate with each other by sharing their experiences and thoughts.

※ Five young Koreans seeking to realize their Africa-related dreams and five Africans studying in the ROK to build their future will take the opportunity to hold conversations with each other. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will also attend the event and offer them encouragement.

* unofficial translation