Asia

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha hosted a Working Luncheon for Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in the Republic of Korea

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a luncheon meeting Friday with a group of African ambassadors in Seoul to discuss ways to enhance South Korea's partnership with their countries

March 11th, 2019
Diana Usurelu, News from Berlin
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During the meeting at her official residence, Kang stressed Seoul's desire to further strengthen its relations with the African countries, noting progress in their efforts for regional integration, economic growth and peace.

Recalling her past encounters with people in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar during her stint as a senior U.N. humanitarian officer, Kang voiced her conviction that their unflagging passion and hope meant a bright future for Africa. Kang also called for African countries' continued support for Seoul's diplomacy aimed at denuclearizing North Korea and fostering lasting peace on the divided peninsula.

Minister Kang shared with the Ambassadors the ROK government’s plan to continue dialogue with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the back of the ironclad Republic of Korea-United States alliance. Saying that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula could have positive impact on Africa, the Minister asked for continued support for the ROK government’s efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In his remarks in response to the Minister’s, dean of the African diplomatic corps in the ROK and Ambassador from Gabon Carlos Boungou extended appreciation to the ROK government for its active diplomatic diversification efforts in Africa, including launching the Korea-Africa Foundation and the two Africa tours by the Prime Minister in 2018.  Furthermore, it reaffirmed the unswerving support of African countries for the ROK government’s work toward the denuclearization of the DPRK and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

During the working luncheon, the two sides have discussed ways to enhance the ROK’s image in Africa and to bolster mutually beneficial partnership between the two regions by building on the results of the survey co-conducted by the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea-Africa Foundation. The even ended when the African Ambassadors and the officials from the ROK Foreign Ministry sang a Korean pop song to the guitar music played by the Ambassador from the Republic of The Gambia to the ROK.

References

News from Berlin