1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who is visiting France from November 10th (Fri.) to 11th (Sat.) to attend the Paris Peace Forum, met with the President of Ghana, the Speaker of the Senate of Kenya, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Uganda. During his meetings with the top African officials, Minister Park requested support for Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, and exchanged views on ways to enhance substantive cooperation with the countries. Minister Park also invited African leaders to the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit.

2. On the morning of November 10th (Fri.), Minister Park met with Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the forum. He expressed pleasure in meeting President Akufo-Addo two months after their last meeting during a luncheon (September 19th) with the President and First Lady of Ghana, hosted by the Korean President and First Lady, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. President Akufo-Addo expressed his satisfaction with the in-depth discussions on bilateral cooperation with President Yoon Suk Yeol and requested Minister Park to convey his special thanks to President Yoon for hosting the luncheon.

3. Minister Park and President Akufo-Addo highly valued the active cooperation on the international stage as well as in various fields, such as economy & trade, development cooperation and infrastructure construction, noting that the two countries share universal values. They agreed to further expand and strengthen their cooperation in diverse areas and solidarity on the international stage. President Akufo-Addo highly appreciated Korea’s genuine interest in strengthening cooperation with African countries, including Ghana, and responded positively to attending the Korea-Africa Summit next year.

4. On the morning of November 11th (Sat.), Minister Park met with Amason Kingi, the Speaker of the Senate of Kenya, and expressed his hope for deepening substantive cooperation with Kenya, a key country in East Africa, as Korea and Kenya mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

5. Minister Park particularly expressed the Korean government's desire to expand development cooperation in the areas of interest to Kenya, such as vocational & technical training, climate change response and health. He also hoped that infrastructure projects that can contribute to improving the living conditions of Kenyan people and the economic development of Kenya would be smoothly carried out through the $1 billion EDCF Framework Arrangement concluded during last year’s Korea-Kenya Summit. In response, Speaker Kingi expressed his gratitude for the efforts and support of the Korean government.

6. Later in the afternoon of November 11th (Sat.), Minister Park met with Oryem Henry Okello, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Uganda. He appreciated the active high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the meeting with Ugandan Vice President Alupo at the UN General Assembly in September as well as Minister Okello’s visit to Korea, as this year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

7. Minister Park expressed his expectation to deepen cooperation in regional development and education sectors, including the Saemaeul Undong (New Village Movement) project aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040, as well as in infrastructure. He suggested that Korea and Uganda, with their complementary economic structures – Korea’s advanced manufacturing and ICT capabilities and Uganda’s abundant young workforce and natural resources – should further strengthen their economic cooperation. Minister Okello, impressed by Busan’s economic development during his visit in September, highly evaluated the city’s competitiveness and welcomed Minister Park’s proposal to enhance economic cooperation, stating that Korea’s economic development experience is a model for Uganda.

8. The meetings between Minister Park and top African officials served as an opportunity to further enhance substantive cooperation with key African countries and strengthen the collaborative system between the two sides for the successful hosting of the Korea-Africa Summit next year.