Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (L) shakes hands with Cameroon President Paul Biya on Nov. 1, 2023, during his official visit to Cameroon as part of his five-nation tour of Africa and Europe, in this photo provided by Han’s office. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Prime Minister Han Duck-soo made an official visit to Cameroon as part of his five-nation tour of Africa and Europe to rally support for South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo and strengthen bilateral ties, his office said Thursday.
Han arrived in the African capital city of Yaounde on Tuesday (local time) for a two-day visit, marking the first official visit by a prime minister since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1961, the office said.
On Wednesday, Han met with President Paul Biya and discussed bilateral issues in the technology, health care and agriculture sectors.
Han asked for the central African nation’s support for South Korea’s bid to bring the expo to its southeastern city of Busan. The host of the mega event will be decided by a vote among member states of the Bureau International des Expositions in late November.
Han also mentioned the upcoming South Korea-Africa summit in 2024 as part of Seoul’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation with resource-rich African nations, the office said.
Prior to the meeting, Han also met with his counterpart, Joseph Dion Ngute.
Following his visit there, Han will proceed to Norway and Finland as part of his seven-day diplomatic tour, which also includes earlier destinations — Malawi and Togo.
On Thursday and Friday, Han will visit Norway and Finland, respectively, where he will seek to strengthen value-based diplomacy with Europe and explore ways to enhance cooperation on issues of economic security, including climate change and supply chains.
In Norway, he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, as the two countries are set to mark the 65th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations next year.
In Finland, he will meet with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and seek to develop bilateral ties while following up on a summit held between their leaders last July.
(Yonhap)
