The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) First Vice Minister JEON Byeong Geuk visited Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt from April 12 (Fri) to April 17 (Wed) to encourage active participation and discuss cultural cooperation enhancement for the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul this June. The summit, themed “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity,” marks the first multilateral summit between Korea and African nations and is scheduled for June 4 to 5.

Presidents of Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt Requested to Attend and Collaborate at the Korea-Africa Summit

Acting as a special envoy of the president, Vice Minister JEON met with President secretary Fidèle Sarassoro of Côte d'Ivoire and official from Assistant Secretary of Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ashraf Souilamof. He conveyed President YOON Suk Yeol’s intent for Korea and Africa to strengthen cooperation and solidarity for mutual growth based on an equal partnership, prompted by the upcoming summit. Vice Minister JEON also solicited keen interest and participation from Africa for the successful hosting of the summit, specifically requesting the attendance of presidents from Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt .

Côte d’Ivoire was the first African country to establish diplomatic ties with Korea in 1961. During his visit, Vice Minister JEON proposed significant cooperation and exchanges in trade, investment, and culture, prompted by the summit. For Egypt, which progressed to a “Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership” with Korea in 2016, he proposed detailed discussions on development cooperation in transportation, infrastructure, clean energy, and cultural heritage at the summit.

Participated as the guest of honor at the “13th Abidjan Market for Performing Arts”

Showcased representative Korean performing arts such as Nanta, Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team, and Ongals

Furthermore, Vice Minister JEON attended the opening of the “13th Market for Abidjan Performing Arts (MASA)” on April 13, a leading West African cultural event.

The festival, held biennially since 1993, showcases the capabilities of African performing arts and enhances international accessibility. This year, the festival from April 13 to 20 saw participation from over 300 performing arts teams from Africa, Europe, and other regions, presenting a variety of performances, including music, play, puppetry, and circus. Korea, invited as the guest country for the first time from Asia, was represented by notable performers such as Nanta, the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team, and Ongals, receiving considerable applause from the African audience. In particular, the popularity of the Taekwondo performances was high because of the local interest sparked by Cheick Sallah Cissé’s historic gold medal win at the 2016 Rio Olympics—the first for Côte d’Ivoire. The mutual friendship through Taekwondo continues to build, and the festival significantly contributed to promoting Korean culture and enhancing its positive image in Africa.

Vice Minister JEON remarked, “Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, Côte d’Ivoire and Korea have continuously nurtured friendship across economic and cultural sectors. We hope this year’s Korea-Africa Summit will be successful, ushering in an era of new prosperity and closer cooperation between our nations.”