South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) holds talks with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
The leaders of South Korea and Ghana agreed to work closely together to deliver tangible results across a range of sectors, including
»ÇºüÀ̸±°ÔÀÓ the economy, maritime security and critical minerals, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The agreement was reached at President Lee Jae Myung's summit with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, w
¾ß¸¶Å丱°ÔÀÓ ho is on a working visit to South Korea, on Wednesday afternoon at the presidential office in Seoul.
Mahama¡¯s visit marks the first by an African head of state since Lee took office and come
¾ß¸¶Åä°ÔÀÓÀå s as South Korea and Ghana seek to expand cooperation across various areas ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
¡°The two leaders agreed to work closely so that Ko
¸±°ÔÀÓ¸ô rea and Ghana can leverage each other¡¯s strengths to produce tangible results of cooperation that the people of both countries can feel across a wide range of areas, including the economy, security, a
¾ß¸¶Åä°ÔÀÓ¿¹½Ã griculture, education, culture and critical minerals,¡± presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press statement.
¡°In addition, the two leaders discussed regional and global matters, including the Middle East, expressed support for each other¡¯s roles in promoting peace, and shared the view that solidarity should be strengthened to advance global peace,¡± Kang added.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a summit with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
During the summit, Lee underscored that the two countries ¡°have already achieved remarkable cooperation in various areas such as maritime security, trade and agriculture¡± in his opening remarks.
Lee explained that trade between South Korea and Ghana has increased about 38-fold over the years, with Korean companies currently operating actively in Ghana, particularly in manufacturing, as well as the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
Lee also expressed appreciation for Ghana¡¯s cooperation in protecting South Koreans operating in West African waters.
¡°Moreover, Ghana is a country to which we are truly grateful, as it has actively cooperated in protecting the safety of South Korean citizens in the Gulf of Guinea, where the threat of piracy is ever-present,¡± Lee said.
The Gulf of Guinea has long been one of the world¡¯s most piracy-prone regions, making maritime security a direct concern for Seoul, as South Korean merchant ships, deep-sea fishing vessels and energy carriers operate in the area.
Lee also noted the growing popularity of Korean culture in Ghana as another foundation for deepening ties between the two countries.
¡°I understand that Korean culture?including films, food and cosmetics?is receiving great affection in Ghana. Although our countries are geographically far apart, the fact that our people can laugh together and relate to each other through culture gives me great joy and emotion,¡± Lee said.
¡°I hope that people-to-people exchanges between our countries will continue to increase, further strengthening Korea-Ghana relations in many areas.¡±
Lee further expressed his expectation that ¡°President Mahama¡¯s visit will lead to tangible outcomes of cooperation that can be felt by the people of both countries.¡±
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama speaks during a summit with President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Lee and Mahama emphasized the historical similarities between the two countries and their shared democratic values as a strong foundation for closer cooperation.
¡°Because of these shared values, it is very easy for us to collaborate on multilateral matters. Ghana and Korea often find ourselves taking the same positions on many issues at the United Nations and in other international forums,¡± Mahama told Lee, highlighting their shared respect for democracy and human rights.
¡°And so it is not about the distance between our two countries; it is about the similarity of the shared values that we have,¡± he added.
Mahama also underscored his belief that the two countries could come together in a "win-win partnership,¡± noting that ¡°Ghana has natural resources and human resources, and Korea has the technology and innovation."
Mahama added that cooperation in the critical minerals sector could become a key pillar of future economic ties.
¡°Ghana, like other African countries, has a potential for critical minerals, and so currently we're exploiting bauxite, manganese and gold, and we've discovered vast reserves of lithium and some nickel and other rare minerals," Mahama said.
"Korea has the technology, and we believe that we can explore these minerals together and not export them in their raw form, but add value to their critical minerals and export them both to Korea and other countries.¡±
Mahama also pointed to maritime security as another important area of cooperation.
¡°Korea has been a strong seafaring nation, and the issue of piracy is of major concern to Korea just as it is to Ghana,¡± Mahama said, referring to the memorandum of understanding on maritime safety and security cooperation signed by the Korea Coast Guard and the Ghana Navy as a key outcome of the summit.
¡°The Gulf of Guinea is experiencing several incidents of piracy, and so we would be happy to have a joint framework for cooperation on the issue of piracy.¡±