(ATTN: ADDS minister’s meeting with U.S., Japanese officials in last 5 paras, photo)
South Korean Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu recently asked Cabo Verde President Jose Maria Pereira Neves to support the nation’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The meeting was held on Friday (local time) as part of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s special envoy mission. Minister Bang and President Neves discussed ways to increase cooperation between the two countries in the areas of agriculture, trade, investment, energy infrastructure, and overall economic development. The South Korean minister also delivered a letter from Yoon to the president, requesting Cabo Verde’s backing for the Expo bid.
Bang was the first South Korean minister-level figure to visit the African nation. Before his meeting with President Neves, he held talks with Cabo Verde’s finance minister, Olavo Avelino Garia Correia, regarding economic cooperation. The two also signed two memorandums of understanding, which focused on agricultural machinery and personnel and information exchanges in the economic and industry fields.
The selection of the host country is less than two months away, and the South Korean government is doing all it can to win the bid. The visit to Cabo Verde was seen as a chance to initiate close ties between the two countries, as they had not been able to build a strong partnership due to geographical constraints.
Bang also visited France on Thursday for a summit of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on supply chains of critical minerals and clean energy. During his time there, he met with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and agreed to boost bilateral cooperation on nuclear power generation and a wide range of energy issues. He also held talks with Japan’s economic minister, Nishmura Yasutoshi, to discuss ways to strengthen ties in critical minerals and advanced industries. Bang asked Northern Australia’s resources minister, Madeleine King, for her government’s support for South Korean companies conducting investment projects there with regard to key minerals. He also met with his counterparts from France and Indonesia, as well as IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.