On Monday, June 1, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo met with the Minister of State for African Affairs of the State of Libya, Fatalla Elzuni, who visited Korea to participate in the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and exchanged views on bilateral relations and substantive cooperation including expanding the presence of Korean companies in Libya.

Vice Minister Park expressed his hope that bilateral relations would be further enhanced and Korean companies would expand their presence in Libya's crude oil and oil refining sectors, building on the trust and mutually beneficial relationship established through the Great Man-Made River Project in Libya during the 1980s. Minister Elzuni highly valued the significant contributions Korean companies have made to Libya’s economic development. He also expressed hope for greater investment by world-class Korean companies in Libya's construction and infrastructure sectors, as Libya’s security, economic, and political situation has stabilized significantly in recent years.

Meanwhile, Minister Elzuni explained the Libyan government’s efforts toward achieving national reconciliation and stability, requesting the return of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Tripoli. In response, Vice Minister Park stated that the Korean Embassy in Libya had been operating on a rotational basis between Libya and Tunisia since March 2022, and, in line with these efforts, announced the official reopening of the Korean Embassy in Tripoli on the occasion of the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Both sides expressed their hope that this announcement of the official reopening would serve as a solid foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

As Minister Elzuni expressed his desire to expand exchanges in the academic and private sectors, Vice Minister Park suggested continuing communication to explore avenues for cooperation in various fields following Minister Elzuni’s visit to Korea.