1. The government of the Republic of Korea, together with the African Union (AU), hosted the 3rd Korea-Africa Forum on October 17.

2. Some 140 delegates from Africa, including President Michael Sata of Zambia, the Foreign Ministers and/or the Vice Foreign Ministers of 18 countries, as well as those from the AU attended the Forum.

3. In this ministerial-level meeting presided over by ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, the participants discussed the progress in the ROK-Africa cooperation and adopted the “Seoul Declaration 2012”and the “Action Plan (2013-2015)” as the concluding documents.

° In the open session held with some 500 people in attendance, those from the government, academic and business circles delivered speeches on setting a paradigm of ROK-Africa cooperation in “Development,” “Trade and Investment,” and “Peace and Security.”

4. The concluding documents adopted at the Forum call for implementing concrete cooperation projects with the AU, strengthening their implementation mechanisms and holding the 4th Forum in Africa in 2015.

5. On the sidelines of the Forum, Foreign Minister Kim met bilaterally with the Foreign Ministers of 10 African countries. They shared views on regional situations and discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and cooperation on the international stage.

° Foreign Minister Samson K. Ongeri of Kenya voiced hope that the launch of direct flights between Incheon and Nairobi will lead to a stronger ROK-Kenya relationship. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministers from Ethiopia and other countries expressed support for the ROK’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and requested active assistance of the ROK in their countries’ agriculture, education and infrastructure sectors.

6. The delegates from Africa visited the Saemaul Undong History Center in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Samsung Electronics to learn first-hand about the ROK’s development experience and industrialization process.

                        Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation