Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a work report to President Lee Jae Myung from the Overseas Korean Agency and the Unification Ministry at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 19 December 2025. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Jan. 8 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s foreign minister said Thursday he will recommend that President Lee Jae-myung revisit Africa when conditions allow, calling the continent a key partner in Seoul’s push to diversify its diplomacy.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the remarks while receiving a work report from the Korea-Africa Foundation, the Foreign Ministry said.
“Africa is an important cooperative partner in realizing our government’s national agenda of diversifying diplomacy,” Cho said.
Cho noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was set to depart for an Africa tour in two days, adding that China routinely sends its foreign minister to Africa early each year. Cho asked the foundation to work with the Foreign Ministry to prevent gaps in South Korea’s Africa diplomacy.
Cho also urged the foundation to pursue new ways to strengthen ties with African countries not only as recipients of official development assistance but as partners for expanded cooperation.
He called for deeper consideration of how to expand what he described as the government’s “K-Initiative” through overseas missions and to connect Africa diplomacy with South Korean diplomatic posts on the continent. He also asked for support for planned government outreach, including a Korea-Africa foreign ministers meeting scheduled for June.
Kim Young-chae, chair of the Korea-Africa Foundation, reported the foundation’s recent work, including monitoring African trends and conducting research to support diplomatic strategy, promoting exchanges and cooperation between South Korean companies and private groups and African counterparts and running education and outreach programs to improve mutual understanding.
The Foreign Ministry said it and the foundation also discussed future priorities such as strengthening practical diplomacy and research roles related to Africa, improving youth dispatch programs, public communication tied to the 2026 Korea-Africa foreign ministers meeting, stabilizing the foundation’s organization and reinforcing management and oversight.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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