Congratulatory Remarks by H.E. Cho Hyun
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
Africa Day 2026
May 20, 2026
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening.
It is a great pleasure to celebrate
Africa Day 2026 with all of you tonight.
On this auspicious occasion,
I extend my sincere congratulations
to all the African countries and their peoples.
Since the establishment of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, now known as the African Union,
African countries have worked tirelessly
to promote solidarity, peace and shared prosperity.
Korea deeply respects these efforts and remains committed
to deepening its friendship with Africa.
I personally have a very intimate connection with Africa.
As a junior diplomat, I was posted to the Central African Republic and Senegal in the 1980s.
Those experiences left a lasting impression on me,
and tonight, I find those nostalgic memories coming back to me.
Thank you.
As all of us gathered here know so well,
Africa is a continent of extraordinary dynamism and enormous potential.
With its young population, abundant resources and
strategic location connecting major global maritime routes,
Africa is emerging as a key hub
for global connectivity and future growth.
Recognizing such vast potential,
Korea has expanded its cooperation with Africa
over the past six decades in areas including
agriculture, digitalization, education, public health, infrastructure, peacebuilding and more.
Today, the importance of Africa is greater than ever.
Amid growing geopolitical tensions and
disruptions to global logistics and energy supply chains,
Africa is becoming an increasingly important partner
in addressing global challenges and uncertainties.
Against this backdrop, President Lee Jae Myung
has reaffirmed Korea’s strong commitment
to strengthen cooperation with Africa.
He notably held his first summit meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and visited African countries during his first year in office, which was last year.
These unprecedented high-level engagements were
a clear demonstration of the priority Korea places on Africa.
And on the occasion of the G20 summit,
President Lee expressed the strong support for ⸢Africa Engagement Framework⸥.
Guided by such commitment,
Korea is undertaking a series of implementation measures including the launch of Korea-Africa Critical Minerals Dialogue, accession of Korea to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as observer, and the establishment of a Cooperation Fund in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Twelve days from now,
Korea will host the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. It will be the first ministerial meeting independently hosted by our government, inviting all African countries and 4 major African International organizations.
We will take stock of the outcomes of the
2024 Korea-Africa Summit and
share further discussions under the themes of “Strengthening Economic Cooperation” and “Joint Responses to Global Challenges”.
We hope to use this as an opportunity to review the progress made so far and explore ways to promote shared prosperity and sustainable future.
Distinguished Guests,
As I look around this room tonight,
I am once again convinced of the bright and inspiring future of our relations.
The traditional costumes of the African Ambassadors,
together with the colors of Korean Hanbok,
beautifully reflects the harmony and friendship
between Korea and Africa.
The foundation of our strong partnership
lies not only in our practical cooperation,
but also in the richness of our cultures, the depth of our human ties, and our mutual respect.
Korea will continue to deepen the Korea-Africa partnership and we ask for your continued support and cooperation
as we move forward together.
Thank you.
/END/