Jeon Byeong-geuk Vice Minister Meets High-ranking Officials of Various Countries
Visits Abidjan Performing Arts Festival to Encourage Korean Team
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 17th that Vice Minister Jeon Byeong-geuk visited C?te d'Ivoire and Egypt for six days starting from the 12th to request participation in the 'Korea-Africa Summit.' This is the first multilateral summit between Korea and Africa. It will be held over two days from June 4 under the theme "Creating the Future Together: Co-growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity."
Vice Minister Jeon, in his capacity as a special envoy of the President, met with Fidel Sarassoro, Chief of Staff to the President of C?te d'Ivoire, and Ashraf, Deputy Foreign Minister of Egypt. He conveyed President Yoon Seok-yeol's determination to strengthen cooperation for co-growth and solidarity as equal partners. He requested the attendance of each country's president and asked for their support to ensure the successful hosting of the summit.
C?te d'Ivoire was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with Korea in 1961. Vice Minister Jeon proposed enhancing practical cooperation and exchanges in areas such as trade, investment, development, and culture. To Egypt, which developed into a 'Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership' with Korea in 2016, he expressed intentions for development cooperation in transportation, infrastructure, clean energy, and cultural heritage sectors.
Vice Minister Jeon said, "These countries have continuously fostered friendship in fields such as economy and culture," adding, "I hope the summit will be successfully held and that we will share a new era of prosperity together."
Meanwhile, on the 13th, Vice Minister Jeon attended the opening ceremony of the Abidjan Performing Arts Festival, encouraging the Korean performing arts team and observing the cultural and artistic exchange scene. The Abidjan Performing Arts Festival, held biennially since 1993, is a representative West African festival aimed at strengthening African performing arts capabilities and expanding accessibility to the international community. It features music, theater, puppetry, circus, and more from various countries including Africa and Europe.
Korea was invited as the first Asian country to be the featured guest nation. Performances such as Nanta, the Kukkiwon Taekwondo demonstration team, and Ongals took the stage and received great applause. A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "C?te d'Ivoire showed significant interest in the Taekwondo demonstration team, as Taekwondo athlete Cheick Sallah Ciss? won the first-ever gold medal in history at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics," adding, "We will continue to promote various Korean cultures, including Taekwondo, to spread a positive image."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
