1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Taeho attended and delivered congratulatory remarks at the opening session of the 2^nd “Seoul Dialogue on Africa,” co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea-Africa Foundation, on the morning of December 5.

° Vice Minister Lee, calling the year 2019 “the year of Africa,” explained that recently, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) had been launched, and that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 for his efforts to build peace in East Africa. On that note, he commended the progress toward the political and economic integration in Africa.

° The Vice Minister mentioned that the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been making efforts to build mutually beneficial cooperative partnerships with Africa. He added that, as part of those efforts, high-level exchanges have recently gained momentum, and that the Korea-Africa Foundation has been carrying out robust activities in areas of private and public exchanges as well as support for youth and entrepreneurs in building presence in Africa.

° In particular, the Vice Minister underscored the need for cooperation on climate change and sustainable development. On that note, he called for the African countries’ attention to the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit to be held in Seoul in June 2020 and asked for their continued support toward complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The Dialogue also featured congratulatory remarks and keynote speeches by African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology Sarah Anyang Agbor, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Lee Juyoung, and President of the Korea-Africa Foundation Choi Yeon-ho. Also among the participants in the Dialogue were Ambassadors of African countries to the ROK, including Ambassador of the Gabonese Republic Victor Boungou.

3. The 2^nd Seoul Dialogue on Africa, themed “Africa’s Integration: Legacies and New Horizons,” is underway on December 5-6, during which about 250 Africa experts from home and abroad will discuss such topics as sustained efforts towards peace and conflict resolution, emerging trends in economic landscape, climate change adaptation and resilience, human resource development and innovative education, and partnership strategies with Africa.

° The Dialogue, an annual international conference on Africa, marks the 2^nd meeting following the previous year and is expected to help strengthen cooperative relations between the ROK and Africa by enhancing mutual understanding and boosting mutual exchanges between the two regions.