Egypt, Korea discuss strengthening cooperation marking 30th anniversary of relations

Reham El-Adawi , Monday 20 Jan 2025

As Egypt and Korea mark the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year, Ambassador of Korea to Egypt Kim Yonghyon met with Minister of Local Development Manal Awad to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and exploring new opportunities for future collaboration in different fields.

Korean embassy
Korean ambassador Kim Yonghyon and Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development in the middle. Photo Courtesy of the Korean embassy.

 

Their meeting, on 13 January, focused on environmental cooperation, rural development, empowering women and youth, and sustainable development.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kim recognized Minister Awad's exceptional contributions to local governance, including her tenure as governor of Damietta and deputy governor of Giza.

He also offered his best wishes for a successful tenure as Egypt’s first female minister of local development.

Moreover, Kim highlighted ongoing projects between the two countries to improve Egypt’s waste resource management.

These include building recovery facilities in rural areas and training Egyptian officials in waste management.

He emphasized that these efforts will help address waste challenges and support Egypt’s transition to a more sustainable, circular economy.

 


Korea Ambassador Kim Yonghyon met with Minister of Local Development Manal Awad. photo courtesy of the Korean embassy.

 

Furthermore, the ambassador invited officials from Egypt's Ministry of Local Development to join the Global Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) Training Programme, which follows the 2022 MoU between Korea’s Ministry of Interior and Egypt's Ministry of Local Development.

The programme shares Korea's rural development experience, focusing on the Saemaul Undong, a major rural development movement launched in the 1970s to promote rural revitalization through community-led projects.

Kim also outlined Korea’s ongoing initiatives in Egypt, including KOICA’s (Korea International Cooperation Agency) collaboration with UNFPA and UN Women to empower Egyptian women.

Additionally, he highlighted Korea’s contribution to establishing Beni Suef Technological University.

Kim also explained that KOICA provides vocational training programmes in Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta in partnership with the WFP (World Food Programme) to equip Egyptian youth with essential skills.

KOICA is a South Korean government agency that implements official development assistance (ODA) programmes to support socio-economic development in partner countries through projects such as vocational training, education, and women's empowerment initiatives.

Ambassador Kim and Minister Awad also discussed further opportunities for cooperation on sustainable development, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.

The ambassador invited Minister Awad to visit Korea soon, which would deepen bilateral collaboration.

Short link: