S. Korea Minister in Uganda to Bolster Bilateral Ties

The South Korean vice minister of foreign affairs Choi Jongmoon is in Uganda for a two-day working visit aimed at strengthening Seoul's ties with Kampala.

“The main purpose of this visit is to further bolster the cordial bilateral relations and deepen cooperation between the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Korea,” the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement announcing the visit.

Jongmoon, who flew into the East African nation today, met with Okello Oyrem, the minister of state for foreign affairs this afternoon.

Uganda and South Korea began cooperating in 1963 and a lot of things have since happened, including donations Korea has made to Uganda, setting up factories, offering loans for infrastructure development and hosting economic forums to deepen trade ties.

In 2016, Uganda and South Korea signed cooperation agreements aimed at transfer of technology aligned with the implementation of Uganda’s industrialization program.

In May of this year, Korea wired US$1,666,667 to UNHCR to support refugees and host communities in Uganda, with a focus on strengthening health care, water, hygiene and sanitation services across the response.

This contribution, which is part of a three-year grant totaling US $5 million for 2020-2022, fulfilled a pledge that the Republic of Korea made at the Global Refugee Forum in December 2019 in Geneva, committing to support a comprehensive refugee response in Uganda.