On Saturday, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported that Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu had met with President of Cabo Verde Jose Maria Pereira Neves and requested the African nation’s support for its bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern city of Busan.
Bang, who was sent as a special envoy of President Yoon Suk Yeol, discussed ways to boost bilateral collaboration in agriculture, commerce, investment, energy infrastructure, and the overall economy. He also delivered Yoon’s letter to the president, which asked for Cabo Verde’s endorsement of Seoul’s bid.
Bang was the first South Korean minister-level figure to visit the African country. Before the meeting, he had talks with the African nation’s finance minister, Olavo Avelino Garia Correia, and signed two memorandums of understanding, which promote cooperation on agricultural machinery and personnel and information exchanges regarding their economic and industry fields.
He was accompanied by a 30-person economic delegation that included representatives from the agriculture promotion institution, Korea Electric Power Corp. and other related organizations. The selection of the host country is set to take place in a little over two months, and the South Korean government has been doing its utmost to win the bid.
Bang’s visit is expected to open the door for a close relationship between South Korea and the African nation, as the two countries have not had a strong partnership due to geographical constraints.
On Thursday, Bang visited France for a summit of the International Energy Agency on supply chains of critical minerals and clean energy.