Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and his Kenyan counterpart Raila Odinga agreed Monday to step up bilateral cooperation in development, business and culture during their talks in Seoul, officials here said.

The two leaders also swapped views on the situation in the region and ways to boost collaboration in the international arena, the prime minister’s office said.

Odinga arrived here on Sunday for a three-day official visit, following Kim’s trip to Kenyan capital Nairobi in July. He is running for president with polls slated to open in March.

During his stay, Odinga is also scheduled to tour a scientific research complex and university in Daejeon, attend a meeting with business leaders and visit national assembly speaker Kang Chang-hee.

Korea has been seeking to expand its foray into East Africa’s largest economy to cash in on its growing consumer market and brisk industrial development. The government is carrying out a multitude of energy, residential and other infrastructure projects with a goal of becoming a middle-income nation under its “Kenya Vision 2030.”

Bilateral trade volume has expanded nearly 28 percent in four years, topping $20 billion for the first time so far this year, according to the Korea International Trade Association.

The two countries launched diplomatic relations in 1964.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)