The Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Mr Kim Pankyu said the partnership between Korea and Nigeria will be one of the most vibrant ones in the years to Come.
Pankyu stated at the the Korean National Day Reception in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, this is the first National Day Reception that he is hosting Abuja.
“I came to Abuja eight months ago. Some might say that eight months is not a long period, but I witnessed quite a lot of progress during this period.
“In June this year, my President hosted the first Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul. Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the then Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, visited Seoul for this important event.
“In Seoul, they had a mnultiple meetings not only with Korean government officials but also with many Korean businessmen and development experts.
“:I am Confident that these engagements will lead to further increase in economic exchanges between Korea and Nigeria.
“During the Korea-Africa Summit, my President announced that Korea would continue to expand official development assistance up to ten billion US dollars by 2030 as a catalyst for projects for cooperation with Africa.
“In addition, he committed to provide $14 billion US dollars to Korean companies by 2030 to encourage their activities in Africa.
“I am happy to share the news that recently an intra-governmental task force team has been Composed to follow up on the economic partnership agreements made on the occasion of the Korea-Africa Summit.
“Since Nigeria is a leading economy and the biggest market in Africa I believe that the partnership between Korea and Nigeria will be one of the most vibrant ones in the years to Come.
“In fact, we are already witnessing meaningful progress,” Pankyu said.
The Ambassador explained that during the third quarter of 2024, the trade between Korea and Nigeria increased by 55 per cent. In particular.
He pointed out that the import from Nigeria to Korea increased by 91 per cent.
According to him, this positive development will continue as more and more Koreans are interested in Nigeria and more Nigerians are interested in Korea.
“When I first came to Abuja earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by Nigerian people’s high interest in Korean culture such as Korean language, K-drama, K-pop and K-food.
“I had an opportunity to observe K-food contest in Abuja and was deeply impressed by the Korean foods
made by Nigerian chefs.
“When I observed Taekwondo championship in Abuja recently I had a feeling that in a few years the number of gold medals that Korean athletes win at the Olympics may decrease due to brilliant Nigeriarn athletes,” he said.
He further stated that cultural exchanges between the two countries would strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual understanding, submitting that, there is a huge potential for cooperation between the two countries in the creative economy.
“I believe Nigeria, a leader in promoting peace and stability in this region, is an important partner for Korea in this addressing global peace, and look forward to closer coordination.
HammerTimes News Online reports that guests were treated to scintillating music performances by Korean musical performance teams who flew all the way from Seoul to Abuja.
