A delegation of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) — one of the leading research centres in South Korea — held a joint seminar with the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategy Studies (ACPSS) on 19 September as part of their visit, which lasted from 17 to 20 September.
The seminar’s theme was ‘Changes in International Relations in the MENA Region and Trilateral Economic Cooperation between Korea and North Africa.”
During the seminar, Korean and Egyptian scholars discussed the impact and implications of the Russian-Ukrainian War on MENA, regional relations, global energy markets, and economic cooperation between Korea and North Africa.
Additionally, they exchanged opinions on the political and economic situation in the Middle East and Northeast Asia and discussed ways to strengthen future economic cooperation between the two countries.
President of the KIEP Kim Heungchong pointed out that the prolonging of the Russian-Ukrainian War and global supply chain disruption caused energy and food prices to skyrocket. He also stressed Korea and Egypt should expand their bilateral cooperation to various fields to overcome such difficulties, noting that the fields that the Egyptian government is currently prioritising — such as digital transformation, green energy, and nuclear power plants — are possible areas for cooperation.
For his part, South Korea’s Ambassador in Cairo Hong Jin-Wook highlighted that the seminar provided a meaningful opportunity for both sides to share views on the situation in MENA and deepen mutual understanding.
He also expressed his gratitude in having experts from top Korean and Egyptian strategic think tanks together to discuss current global events, asserting that the network formed by the KIEP-ACPSS joint seminar will pave the way for future academic cooperation between the two countries, which then would serve as a solid foundation for sustainable bilateral relations.
Furthermore, he said that the Korean Embassy in Egypt has been exploring various ways to cooperate with major Egyptian universities and research institutes and will continue to foster vigorous academic exchanges like this recently concluded seminar between the two countries.
