South Korean President to Visit Ethiopia, AU

By Dejene Sojato

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is to pay a State Visit to Ethiopia and the African Union (AU) commission from May 25 to 28, 2016. Korean companies are keen to invest in the industrial sector, said the Korean Ambassador.

In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, South Korean Ambassador KIM Moon-hwan said that considering Ethiopia as her first leg of the visit to Africa clearly shows Korean government's exceptional interest and emphasis on Ethiopia.

"President Park decided to make a State Visit to Ethiopia, which is the second most populous country in Africa and a leader in the East African region, with the belief and the conviction that our cooperation with this country is very crucial, not only bilaterally but also multilaterally," noted the Ambassador.

During her visit, President Park is expected to announce Korea's policy towards Ethiopia and Africa through the bilateral summit and her special speech at the AU headquarters, said Ambassador.

"Acknowledging the importance of the AU, we are enhancing cooperation with the AU in a wide-ranging field. In particular, we are planning to co-host the 4th Korea-Africa Forum in December 2016 in Addis Ababa with Ethiopian government." he said.

The President will officially launched a development project called "Korea Aid" in her visit. Korea Aid is comprised of three mobile elements, namely K-Medic, K-Culture and K-Meal with 10 vehicles to reach out to the community, serving people in the sectors of health (especially for girls), nutrition and education, and sharing Korean culture as well, said the Ambassador.

"I sincerely hope that through this Korea Aid project, we will be able to achieve the SDGs of "leave no one behind" and share Korean economic and social development experience."

Korea and Ethiopia is maintaining a brotherly relationship ever since Ethiopia sent its troops to the Korean War. According to Amb. KIM Moon-hwan, the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi regarded Korea's developmental policy and experience as a key model for Ethiopia's national development.

"From our side, the Korean people and government are trying our best to provide meaningful contribution to the developing process of this great country through multiple channels."

Concerning the Korean investment flows in Ethiopia, the Ambassador said that at present, Korean textile company ShinTS is operating a textile factory in Bole Lemi industrial complex, and another world-class Korean textile company is giving positive consideration on new investment.

The economies of both countries are highly complementary, taking into consideration of the capital and technology of Korea and the abundant and competitive labor of Ethiopia, said Amb. KIM Moon-hwan.

"Besides textile and steel industry, in which investments are under progress, I expect that some of the promising areas for future Korean investment are pharmaceuticals, leather, electronics, and assembly of automobile parts."

"We are expecting that the bilateral relationship will elevate to a new level in every aspect, such as politics, economy, culture, and etc." he disclosed.