South Korea’s president arrives in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has arrived in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Wednesday night to start her three-nation visit to Africa.

Park is also slated to visit Kenya and Uganda to hold bilateral talks.

In Ethiopia, Park is expected to meet Ethiopian leaders on Thursday and on Friday to deliver a speech at the African Union, the first for a South Korean leader.

Agreements in air service, elimination of double taxation, health, security, environment and transport are expected to be signed during Park’s stay in Ethiopia, said an Ethiopian official.

“Korean health and supplementary food projects will also be inaugurated in her presence. In addition, a business-to-business forum is expected to take place in the capital city to connect Ethiopian investors with their South Korean counterparts,” said Tewolde Mulugeta, spokesman for the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry.

Ethiopia and South Korea have a longstanding friendship. The African nation sent soldiers to fight in the Korean War in the early 1950s as part of an American-led United Nations force. More than 1,000 Ethiopian troops fought the North Korean army and more than 100 were killed in action.

Since then South Korea has supported Ethiopia in many development projects and the South Korean government and other philanthropic organizations have assisted hundreds of relatives of Ethiopian soldiers who fought in the Korean War.