The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the ‘2025 Korea-Africa Trade and Industry Cooperation Forum’ at Koreana Hotel in Seoul on December 15. The forum was attended by Deputy Minister Park Jung-sung, Chairman Kim Young-chae of the Korea-Africa Foundation, Shafik Hashadi, Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Korea, and ambassadors from 12 African countries, as well as businesspeople and experts, totaling over 100 participants.
The forum was organized to review the achievements of economic cooperation with Africa and discuss ways to strengthen future cooperation momentum amid rapidly changing global trade environments, such as strengthened protectionism and supply chain reorganization. Additionally, in connection with the G20 summit held for the first time on the African continent in November, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA reviewed the results of economic cooperation events held intensively in major African countries and discussed ways to materialize future cooperation.
In his welcoming speech, Deputy Minister Park emphasized that cooperation between Korea and Africa is a wise choice to turn crises into opportunities for mutual growth. He stated that Korea would actively pursue trade agreements with African countries and deepen cooperation in supply chains for key minerals and manufacturing. He also mentioned plans to expand cooperation in infrastructure, considering local demand in Africa.
On the occasion of the forum, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy awarded commendations to two individuals who contributed to trade cooperation with the Middle East and Africa: Kang Moon-soo, Associate Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, and Lee So-won, Team Leader at the Korea Economic Association.