Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will visit Rwanda and Morocco, new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, as Korea is pushing for new international sanctions against North Korea over its Dec. 12 launch of a long-range rocket.

Kim is beginning a four-nation tour on Saturday which also includes Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

In Africa, Kim plans to meet with his counterparts to discuss “issues of common interest and ways to promote cooperation on the international stage,” ministry spokesperson Cho Tai-young said.

South Korea also became a UNSC non-permanent member this year.

On Thursday, Kim will touch down in Abu Dhabi and attend the second board meeting of the Global Green Growth Institute.

He is also scheduled to sign an agreement there for establishing the organization’s permanent headquarters in Seoul, stipulating privileges and immunities essential for its members and operation.

The GGGI became an international body in October after being launched in 2010 by the Korean government to foster collaboration between advanced and developing countries in research and policy planning for environmentally sustainable growth.

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