The National Agency for Administrative City Construction of the Republic of Korea (NAACC) and the Administrative Capital for Urban Development of the Arab Republic of Egypt (ACUD) virtually signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in urban development on 28 December.
Korea’s Ambassador in Cairo Hong Jin-Wook and Egypt’s Ambassador in Seoul Khaled Abdelrahman participated in the event.
The objective of the MoU is to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the construction of the Administrative City in South Korea and the New Administrative Capital (NAC) in Egypt. This includes areas of cooperation such as urban planning, smart cities, city operation, and management.
In his congratulatory remarks, Hong mentioned that this MoU will be a steppingstone for strengthening future bilateral urban development cooperation. He added that, considering the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries and expansion of bilateral cooperation fields, this MoU will contribute to not only Egypt successfully finishing the construction of the NAC but also reinforce the two countries’ mutually beneficial cooperation. He also stressed that the embassy will work closely with all related partners to bring about fruitful outcomes from this MoU.
For his part, Administrator of the NAACC Lee Sang-Rae expressed his pleasure for signing the MoU, adding that it will greatly support Egypt in constructing the NAC, because the Administrative City of Korea, Sejong, is very similar in design. Moreover, he hoped that, beginning with this MoU, the two countries will establish a strong cooperation system and embark on successful projects in the future.
Furthermore, Khaled Mahmoud Abbas — Chairperson of the ACUD — said he is very happy that the continuous constructive discussion between the NAACC and ACUD came to fruition through the signing of an MoU. He also mentioned South Korea’s abundant experience and knowledge from constructing Sejong, which was built as a Korean administrative city, expressing his hopes for further bilateral cooperation projects in the field of urban development.
The NAACC and the ACUD will carry out various cooperation activities to implement this MoU, such as an exchange of experience and knowledge and the dispatch of experts and a capacity building programme.
