1. On May 12, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chung Byung-won met with Director General for Political and Diplomatic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya Eliphas Barine, who is visiting Korea at the invitation of the Korea Foundation.

2. Deputy Minister Chung highlighted the progress in Korea-Kenya relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1964 and welcomed the recent increase in high-level exchanges including President William Ruto’s participation in the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit. He expressed hope for enhanced cooperation with Kenya and requested the Kenyan government’s support for greater participation of Korean companies in Kenya’s major infrastructure projects.

3. Director General Barine expressed interest in expanding bilateral ties, particularly in the maritime sector such as shipbuilding and fisheries. He took note of the deepening ties in development cooperation, notably following the signing of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) Framework Arrangement during President Ruto’s official visit to Korea in 2022. He also extended gratitude for Korea’s support in constructing the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya-AIST), completed in April 2025.

4. The two sides also shared views on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and in Africa. Deputy Minister Chung reaffirmed Korea’s commitment, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, to contributing to peace and stability on the African continent.

5. This meeting served to reinforce the friendly relations with Kenya, one of Korea’s key partners in East Africa, and explore avenues for deepening substantive bilateral cooperation.