By Jon Lee 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will visit three African countries and Dubai from August 8 to 14, Deputy Spokesperson Ahn Eun-ju of the ministry said on Aug. 3.

The purposes of Foreign Minister Park’s visit to Africa are to actively seek support of Africa, where the largest number of the member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is located, for Korea’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan, and to discuss how to encourage the participation of African countries’ high-level officials in the Korea-Africa Summit scheduled for next year.

Foreign Minister Park will first have a meeting on Tuesday, August 8, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen of Ethiopia, with which this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Also, a “Korean Night” event will be held for resident diplomats to the African Union to actively promote Korea’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan.

In addition, the Foreign Minister will hold a meeting with the heads of the Korean diplomatic missions in Africa to review with the mission heads the final strategies for Korea’s World Expo bid as well as the progress in the efforts to win support. 

With this year marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Foreign Minister Park will visit the Korean War Memorial in Ethiopia, the only African country that dispatched ground troops to fight alongside Korea in the Korean War, to pay tribute to deceased Korean War veterans for their sacrifices and extend appreciation to the living veterans.

During the first visit to Zambia by a Korean Foreign Minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990, Foreign Minister Park will have a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kakubo on Friday, August 11. 

The Foreign Minister’s visit is expected to serve as an opportunity to further bolster relations with Zambia, one of the co-hosts of the second Summit for Democracy in 2023 along with Korea, based on shared values such as freedom, peace, democracy and the rule of law.

In Rwanda, which will see the first visit by a Korean Foreign Minister in ten years on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year, Foreign Minister Park will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Biruta on Saturday, August 12, and conclude a “memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Korea-Rwanda policy consultation,” paving the way for further deepened relations between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Park will make his last stop in Dubai, where he will meet with Korean companies operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to review the progress in their business there, listen to their challenges, and, as No. 1 salesman of the Foreign Ministry, discuss with the companies ways to carry out sales diplomacy tailored to the situation and needs of the Middle East.

The Foreign Minister will then host a meeting of the heads of the Korean diplomatic missions in the Middle East to discuss ways to strengthen ties with Middle Eastern countries and strategies to win Korea’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan.