Trade volume between two nations grows more than fivefold
S. Korea envoy lauds Egypt’s role in promoting peace in Mideast region
Egypt and South Korea mark today 30 years of diplomatic ties. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cairo organises a series of events on this occasion, including a symposium on April 30 at the downtown premises of the American University in Cairo where artists and cultural figures from both countries will meet on ways to promote cultural exchange and co-operation.
The programme of the symposium includes performances by Korean and Egyptian artists.
South Korean Ambassador to Egypt, Kim Yonghyon, expressed hopes that Egyptians would be able to attend the event to enjoy performances by talented Korean and Egyptian artists.
Other cultural events will follow in the second half of the year, including classical and traditional Korean music performances, a Taekwondo demonstration by the world-renowned Kukiwon team, and a special exhibition that highlights major diplomatic milestones between the two countries in the past three decades.
“We will host an official commemorative ceremony with high-level representatives from both countries, alongside an economic conference focused on exploring innovative ideas to open a new chapter in our economic partnership,” the ambassador told the Egyptian Mail in an exclusive interview.
Close ties
Ambassador Kim said that Egypt and South Korea made significant strides in boosting bilateral relations in the past period.
The volume of trade between the two countries, he said, grew over fivefold.
He added that major Korean companies have strong presence in the Egyptian market.
The ambassador noted that high-level exchanges, such as President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s visit to Korea in 2016 and President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Egypt in 2022, elevated the two countries to the status of comprehensive co-operative partners.
“The same exchanges contributed to the expansion of our ties to new highs,” the ambassador said.
He referred to flourishing people-to-people connections, with Egyptian youth showing growing enthusiasm for Korean culture.
Most importantly, the ambassador said, South Koreans and Egyptians have built strong friendships and see each other as true friends to count on for mutual prosperity.
Economic co-operation
Ambassador Kim noted that companies like Samsung and LG have constructed their own plants in Egypt, creating thousands of quality jobs for Egyptians.
“They export products with the ‘Made in Egypt’ label on them, such as TVs and mobile phones, across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,” the ambassador said.
He added that Korean companies are also actively engaged in key Egyptian projects, including by supplying metro trains for the Cairo Metro and participating in the construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant in El-Dabaa.
“There is also active co-operation in the defence industry between the two countries,” Ambassador Kim said.
More Korean companies, the ambassador added, show interest in the Egyptian market, with the Egyptian economy demonstrating powerful signs of stability.
He noted that together with the Cairo office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the embassy works to promote Korean investments to Egypt.
“Looking ahead, we expect co-operation to expand into emerging sectors, such as green transition, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and the digital economy,” the ambassador said.
He revealed that Cairo and Seoul work on an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
This partnership, he said, will provide an institutional framework for further enhancing bilateral trade and increasing Korean investments in Egypt.
KOICA
Ambassador Kim also revealed that Egypt is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa designated by the Korean government as a priority partner for development.
Over the years, he said, our bilateral development co-operation in various areas, such as transportation, education, public administration, and the environment, has contributed to launching national initiatives, including Egypt Vision 2030.
In particular, he added, the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) played a crucial role in elevating bilateral development co-operation.
“KOICA has contributed more than $100 million in grants and has facilitated training programmes in South Korea for over 2,000 Egyptian government officials,” the ambassador said.
He noted that in recent years, KOICA focused on supporting Egypt’s digital transformation, including by digitising intellectual property services, developing an online public procurement system, and applying an artificial intelligence model to oversee customs’ inspection.
Ambassador Kim expected even more development projects to be implemented between Egypt and his country in the future, especially with the agreement to increase the Korean EXIM Bank’s co-operation fund from $1 billion to $3 billion.
This is particularly true, he said, after the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit which took place last year.
Trilateral co-operation between Egypt, South Korea, and African countries is also very important, the ambassador said.
He described the memorandum of understanding on triangular co-operation signed between KOICA and the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD) at the Korea-Africa Summit as a “significant step”.
Ambassador Kim expressed hopes that Korea’s technology and Egypt’s experience in co-operating with African countries would generate significant synergy.
Cultural ties
Korean culture is incredibly popular in Egypt, especially among the younger generation.
Ambassador Kim said his embassy actively fosters cultural exchange through a variety of programmes, featuring K-POP, K-Movie and Taekwondo, etc.
He said the embassy plans to host literature-themed events, especially after Korean novelist, Han Kang, won the Nobel Prize for literature last year.
“We strive to promote Egyptian culture as well because I believe cultural co-operation should be a two-way process,” the ambassador said.
The embassy had recently hosted an iftar (fast-breaking meal) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of Egypt’s legendary singer, Umm Kulthum.
During the event, Egyptian dignitaries and Korean community leaders shared the iftar meal prepared in both Egyptian and Korean styles and watched a documentary about Umm Kulthum produced by Nile TV while enjoying cultural performances by artists from both countries.
“We will continue to organise such events to enhance mutual understanding and respect, building a strong foundation for the sustainable development of our bilateral relations,” Ambassador Kim said.
Korean language
Korean language education in Egypt has been driven by strong interest in Korean culture and the development of bilateral economic co-operation.
In particular, the Korean Language Department at Ain Shams University, established in 2005, has been very successful.
It has produced seven PhD graduates so far and its programmes continue to attract top students from across Egypt.
Ambassador Kim revealed that his embassy plans to open two more King Sejong Institutes at Alexandria and Ain Shams universities in response to growing demand.
People-to-people exchange
People-to-people exchange has steadily increased, especially with Egypt becoming a popular travel destination for South Koreans.
Among Koreans, Dahab is known as the “paradise of scuba diving”. In 2024, over 40,000 Koreans visited Egypt. This was 20% higher than the number of Koreans who visited the Arab country in 2023.
At the same time, more Egyptians are showing interests in visiting South Korea, something that manifests itself in the growing number of visa applications.
In 2024, the Korean Embassy in Cairo received the highest number of visa applications among Korean embassies in the Middle East.
Direct flights
A direct flight between Seoul and Cairo would be a significant step in facilitating these exchanges.
Currently, direct flights only operate seasonally during the winter.
Both Korean and Egyptian national carriers have expressed great interest in establishing a year-round direct route, and the embassy is actively working to make this a reality, Ambassador Kim said.
Egypt’s pivotal role in Gaza ceasefire negotiations
Ambassador Kim expressed his country’s high esteem of Egypt’s mediation efforts in the region and its recent initiative to present a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza Strip.
“As the situation in Gaza continues to face new challenges, Egypt’s role in promoting peace in the region will be crucial,” the ambassador said.
He added that as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, South Korea is committed to supporting peace and stability in the region.
In response to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he added, South Korea has provided $40 million in humanitarian aid to assist civilians affected by the conflict.
Ambassador Kim said Egypt and South Korean have immense potential to be strategic partners to each other.
“For our excellent friendly and co-operative partnership to be sustainable and to further advance co-prosperity, it is essential for us to continue to foster mutual understanding and trust based on mutual respect,” the ambassador said.
“Cultural bonds and solidarity between our two peoples and win-win economic partnership based on complementarity are two important pillars, which will reinforce each other in solidifying and continuing our growing substantive partnership,” he added.
He noted that expanded academic and educational co-operation is important too.
It is quite encouraging, he said, to see many Egyptians keenly interested in learning the Korean language.
“I would like to encourage more Korean youths to come to Egypt, the cultural and educational hub and aspiring economic powerhouse in this region,” Ambassador Kim said.
Egypt and South Korea, he added, would be reliable partners in engaging in each other’s respective region.
He added that both countries would be strong partners in dealing with many emerging global and regional challenges.
“I am sure this year’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations will create such momentum,” the ambassador said.
“I hope we will work closely together toward our common goals,” he concluded.
