S. Korea, Egypt elevate ties to strategic partnership

South Korea and Egypt agreed Thursday to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and begin negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement as President Lee Jae Myung met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Seoul.

The summit came during el-Sissi's state visit to South Korea, his first trip to the country in 10 years, following Lee's visit to Egypt in November last year.

Lee described Egypt as a key partner in South Korea's SHINE Initiative, a broader Middle East policy vision he unveiled at Cairo University last year, and called for closer cooperation in trade and investment, defense, culture, education and emerging industries.

"Today, we are opening a new chapter in bilateral cooperation, with Korea–Egypt relations being elevated to a strategic partnership," Lee said.

Lee also said the two sides had formally launched negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, expressing hope that an agreement would help expand trade and investment and broaden economic cooperation.

El-Sissi said Egypt highly valued the development of bilateral relations since Lee's visit last year and pledged support for South Korean companies seeking to expand investment and operations in Egypt.

He said the creation of a Korean industrial complex in Egypt could allow Korean companies to localize production and use Egypt's free trade agreements to expand into markets in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from both countries, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, Trade, Industry and Resources Minister Kim Jung-kwan, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac and Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Lee Yong-cheol from the South Korean side.

Egypt's delegation included Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid Saleh, Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir and Industry Minister Khaled Hashem.

The two countries signed or revised 12 cooperation documents covering areas including shipbuilding, clean energy, electric power infrastructure, information and communications technology and cultural exchanges.

Among the agreements was a social insurance pact, making South Korea the first Asian country to conclude such an agreement with Egypt. The pact is aimed at easing the burden on workers who would otherwise be required to make pension contributions in both countries.

Lee said the shipbuilding agreement would help support the development of Egypt's eco-friendly shipbuilding industry by drawing on South Korea's world-class shipbuilding capabilities, the clean energy agreement would expand cooperation on the energy transition, and the power infrastructure agreement would help strengthen energy security.

On defense cooperation, the two leaders agreed that the joint production of K9 self-propelled howitzers had established itself as a successful model of defense industry cooperation.

Lee said he hoped such cooperation would move beyond the export of weapons systems and develop into a mutually beneficial partnership that could help strengthen Egypt's military capabilities and expand its industrial base.

The two countries also designated 2027 as the Year of Cultural Exchange between Korea and Egypt to promote people-to-people exchanges.

They also discussed peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.

Lee said the two countries agreed to continue working toward the swift restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining unhindered international maritime logistics and ensuring free and safe navigation for all vessels.

Lee also said he outlined Seoul's vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and conveyed the government's view that "establishing a peace that renders conflict unnecessary will create the surest and most solid foundation for security."

El-Sissi, in response, expressed full support for South Korea's efforts to foster conditions for dialogue and cooperation, according to Lee.