Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 27 May 2016 -South KoreanPresident, H.E Mme. Park Geun-hyemet with H.E Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) today Friday 27 May 2016 while on an official visit to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The two leaders concluded a series of agreements, which will strengthen cooperation on the areas of education and training as well as industry development.
During the historical visit, both leaders addressed representatives of the diplomatic corps in the continent as well as the international community in the plenary hall of the AU Conference Center, in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, the AU Commissioners and staff of the Commission.
Chairperson Dlamini Zuma in her welcome remarks recalled that, President Geun-hyeis the first female President of the Republic of South Korea and the first leader of the country to visit the African Union. The visit she saidoccurs during the African Year of Human Rights with a particular Focus on the Rights of Women”. The AUC Chairperson further recalled that, “South Korea and all of our founding member states achieved their independence almost at the same time in the 1960’s. However the fortunes of South Korea and that of our Member States have not been the same”. She congratulated the founding mothers and fathers of South Korea and subsequent leaders for having stayed the course and for having turned their fortune within a single a generation. Inspired by the South Korea and other development states success stories the AUC Chairperson said Africa has decided to take itsdestiny into its own hands by embarking on the implementation of the Africa Agenda 2063. “In developing our 50year plan to secure the Africa We Want we looked to South Korea and other developing nations for inspiration...we learnt from South Korea’s rise that strong states and institutions are an important driver for the type of development required to lift our people out of poverty and inequality” concluded Dlamini Zuma. (See complete speech of the AUC Chairperson on the AU website: www.au.int )
President Park on her part expressed appreciation for the warm welcome by the AUC Leadership. Quoting President Nelson Mandela Her Excellency commended the continental vision of Agenda 2063 as a blue print that will help attain the goals and aspirations of the African people for “The Africa We Want”. She further acknowledged the important role of the AU in enhancingmutually beneficial ties betweenthe two parties in various areas of cooperation such as skills development, education, infrastructure, ICTs, gender and youth development. To this end, President Park also announced that 6000 young Africans will be awarded scholarships to study science and technology in South Korea while 4000 South Korean volunteers will be sent to Africa on an exchange development programme. All these priorities and prpgrammes are to be undertaken under the context of the "Korea Aid" development project to the African continent. "I sincerely hope that through this Korea Aid project, we will be able to leave no one behind", she concluded. (See complete speech of the South Korean President on the AU website: www.au.int )
The partnership between South Korea and Africa will be an opportunity to share Korean economic and social development experienceas well as Korean culture.
The visit at the AU Headquarters ended with a vote of thanks by the Dean of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to the South Korean President, for choosing to visit the African Union and engaging her country to fruitful cooperation ties with Africa.

Media inquiries should be directed to:

Esther Azaa Tankou, Ag. Director of Information and Communication, African Union Commission (AUC)/ Tel: +251(0) 911361185 / E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Follow us
Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission
Learn more at: http://www.au.int