Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Okello Oryem, and South Korea’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chung Byung-won, sit in discussion during a bilateral meeting in Seoul, Korea. The two leaders engaged in talks to strengthen bilateral relations and signed several memoranda of understanding to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, and capacity building.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Okello Oryem, met with South Korea’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chung Byung-won, in Seoul to discuss strengthening bilateral relations.
Uganda plans to open a resident Diplomatic Mission in South Korea to maximize benefits from their relations. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the first Korea-Africa Summit, which will take place from June 4-5, 2024.
“The establishment of a resident Diplomatic Mission in Seoul will enhance our cooperation and allow us to achieve maximum benefits from our relations,” Okello Oryem stated.
The discussions focused on collaborative solutions for sustainable development, tackling global challenges like climate change, food security, and health security. “These issues are critical for Africa’s development, and we look forward to seeing their effective implementation,” Okello added.
Additionally, two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are set to be signed, including a Trade and Investment Promotion Framework Agreement and a Loan Financing Agreement. “We look forward to the additional signing of an MOU between our two ministers of Finance from Korea and Uganda on the Summit sidelines, under which South Korea will increase its concessional loan commitment to Uganda from USD 34 million to USD 500 million for the period 2024-2028,” Okello revealed.
Deputy Foreign Minister Chung emphasized Korea’s commitment to capacity building and technology transfer, stating, “Korea is focusing on capacity building programs aimed at extending technology transfers and building required skills, manufacturing capacities for Uganda’s industrial growth and development, and also sharing expertise and knowledge.”
The Summit aims to promote shared growth, sustainability, and solidarity between Korea and Africa. Uganda’s delegation, led by Vice President Jessica Alupo, includes ministers from various sectors. The Summit will feature conference sessions on business, agriculture, ICT, and more, with a Business Summit on June 5 focusing on industrialization, trade promotion, and infrastructure development.
