Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, who was on a tour of three African countries as a special envoy of President Yoon, visited the Republic of Angola on March 1 to seek backing for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
During his visit to the Republic of Angola, Mayor Park held a meeting with President João Lourenço to discuss ways of strengthening practical cooperation between the two countries and to request support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. Mayor Park highlighted his hopes for both countries to work together on practical cooperation projects, focused on addressing common issues such as climate change, energy, sewage treatment, education, and healthcare disparities, all of which are centered on the Busan Initiative. Additionally, Mayor Park requested the active support and interest of the Angolan side in these endeavors.
President João Lourenço recognized the positive relations between Korea and Angola and expressed his support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. “We have close ties with Korean companies in the petroleum and shipbuilding sectors, and Korean companies are investing in various sectors such as fisheries and fish processing, making our bilateral relations stronger,” he stated. He also expressed a keen interest in city-to-city cooperation, including the establishment of sisterhood ties between Busan and Luanda Province.
Mayor Park also met with Tete António, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Angola. During the meeting, Minister António stressed the importance of resuming the joint ministerial committee, signing an investment guarantee agreement, and opening a chamber of commerce. He expressed his continued attention to the development cooperation between the two countries, city-to-city cooperation, and the 2030 Busan World Expo.
Mayor Park also had a meeting with Manuel Homem, the Governor of Luanda Province, where they signed a “Letter of Intent to Establish a Sister City between Busan and Luanda.” This letter aims to strengthen sisterly friendship and cooperation between the two cities. As part of the agreement, Busan and Luanda pledged to establish a strategic partnership and continue exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including education, health, environment, research, infrastructure, technology development and transfer, human resource training, and experience sharing in the IT sector.
Mayor Park’s visit to Angola is expected to further solidify the deep cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Angola. By activating exchanges between the two countries at the highest levels and promoting sisterly friendship and cooperation between Busan and Luanda, Mayor Park has laid the foundation for future collaboration in various fields such as education, health, environment, research, infrastructure, technology development and transfer, human resource training, and experience sharing in the IT sector.
