Remarks by H.E. Yu Myung-hwan

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of
the Republic of Korea

at a Dinner for the 2nd Korea-Africa Forum 

24 November, 2009

   Your Excellency Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union
   Commission,
   Your Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Minister of External
   Relations of the Republic of Chad,
   Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

   It is my great pleasure to host this dinner for the esteemed participants of the Second Korea-Africa Forum. All of us deserve a word of congratulations for the efforts we have collectively put in to ensure the success of this Forum. The Seoul Declaration and the Policy Papers we have adopted today are sure to provide a valuable framework for strengthening cooperation between Korea and Africa in the years ahead.

   Three years ago, Korea hosted the First Korea-Africa Forum in Seoul. I can still recall how then-Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon stressed that "the Forum should not be a simple talk shop but continue to develop into a channel for advancing political and economic cooperation."

   The small steps that have since been taken, have laid the groundwork for more far-reaching developments, as we worked together to build a new partnership based on mutual respect and benefit.

   During the last three years, Korea gave its best efforts to promote friendship with Africa by tripling its Official Development Assistance (ODA), inviting trainees to Korea and sending volunteers to Africa. Two inter-sessional meetings were held in South Africa and Morocco in 2007 and 2008, respectively. We thank these countries for their joint efforts to advance our partnership.

   At this year's Forum, we announced that we would double our ODA to Africa, invite 5,000 trainees and send over 1,000 volunteers by the year 2012. The objective of our development cooperation is to tailor our experience and knowledge to the very needs of the recipient countries.

   One notable aspect of the second Forum is that it is jointly organized by the African Union (AU). By working closely with the AU, we could effectively mobilize and engage all of Africa. I take this opportunity to thank the AU and its Commission for their excellent work.

   The AU's role in regional affairs is being increasingly felt.  Some of the positive trends include the integration of the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) to the AU and the implementation of the APRM (African Peer Review Program). The AU continues to contribute to peacekeeping activities in crisis regions and foster democracy and human rights.

   Excellencies and Distinguished Guests,

   This Forum also provides an avenue for strengthening Korea's bilateral relations with individual African countries. I was very pleased to meet with my counterparts from many countries and share meaningful discussions on ways to further develop our ties. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to forge personal friendships. Diplomacy, after all, is largely about communication and interaction between persons.

   Korea-Africa relations are entering a new phase. Korea has established full diplomatic relations with all African countries. We have participated in or supported peacekeeping missions of the United Nations and the African Union. We've dispatched our naval vessel to the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy. Trade and investment are increasing. Cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, construction and resources is growing rapidly.

   In light of these developments, this Forum could not have been held at a better time. I am confident that by the next Forum three years from now, Korea and Africa will have opened yet another chapter in our shared journey to the future.

   We are in the process of forging a new partnership that is based on mutual respect, benefit and sincerity. It is a partnership bound together by similar historical experiences. There is much to share and gain from this partnership.

   Let me close by citing a word of wisdom from Africa. The Congolese are said to have a saying that "even though monkeys have flexible hands, they need another monkey to scratch their back." What is striking about this saying is how similar it is to the expression we use in Korea that "a monk cannot shave his own head."  The wise people of Korea and Africa have both long realized the importance of partnership.

   Thank you once again for traveling such great distance to be here today and may you all have a pleasant tour tomorrow.