Korea-Kenya Summit

President Yoon Seok-yeol held a summit meeting with President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya at the Presidential Office in Yongsan on Wednesday, November 23, and exchanged views on strengthening exchanges and cooperation. Yoon welcomed President Ruto's choice of Korea as the first Asian country to visit as a Kenyan president, 32 years after the late President Moi's visit, and two months after his taking office. Yoon requested interest in helping Korean companies more actively participate in energy and defense projects in Kenya and expressed his intention to contribute to alleviating food shortages in Kenya by supporting new rice varieties developed by Korea. President Ruto thanked him for this. Ruto said that Kenya, which has a 93% dependence on renewable energy, is very interested in introducing nuclear power, and hoped to discuss with Korea. He also said that he would like to introduce Korea's intelligent transportation system and bus transfer system to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. He requested Korea's interest and cooperation in nurturing medical and scientific talents in Kenya, and hoped to expand exports of Kenyan agricultural products to Korea. In response, Yoon said that the government would provide support so that Korean companies can actively cooperate and contribute to the development of Kenya, the gateway to the East African economy. Following this, Yoon asked for support for Korea in hosting the Busan World Expo and in the 2024-25 UN Security Council elections for non-permanent members. Immediately after the summit, the two countries signed a basic agreement on a $1 billion loan from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund for 2022-2026. Through the implementation of this basic agreement, the Korean government plans to expand contribution diplomacy in areas such as climate change response and agricultural modernization, while preparing a new turning point in supporting Korean companies' entry into Kenya. First Lady Kim Gun-hee had a chat with her counterpart Rachel Luto at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, and exchanged opinions on issues of common interest, such as the ban on cruelty to animals and climate change issues. Mrs. Ruto said, "Korea and Kenya have many similarities, such as the size of the population of about 50 million and warm national character." In response, Kim cited the Korean people's diligence, unity, and passion for education as the reasons, and especially introduced the 'Saemaul Undong', which is being introduced in several African countries. Regarding the people and animals of Kenya suffering from the worst drought in 40 years, Kim said, "We must think together to create a world where humans and animals can coexist." Ruto agreed, saying, "The worst drought has killed animals, and some students have no strength to walk and cannot go to school due to lack of food." Ruto said “Please visit Kenya, which has beautiful natural scenery and diverse animal resources,” and Kim responded, “I really want to go to Kenya, which anyone in the world wants to visit.”

2022 defense export strategy meeting

President Yoon Seok-yeol attended the '2022 defense export strategy meeting' held at the KAI assembly plant in Sacheon on November 24. Yoon said, “General exports are necessary for economic growth, but defense exports are essential for national security. No country can maintain its competitiveness in the defense industry solely through domestic demand. Due to the nature of the defense industry, which requires enormous research and development costs, it is impossible to maintain an advanced weapon system without exports.” He said "Defense industry exports are the basis for cooperation between countries. No country, no matter how strong, can be responsible for security alone. Allies are essential, and defense industry exports not only boost the economy by strengthening the defense cooperation system with allies, but also broaden the horizon of security. It is said that the KF-21, a supersonic fighter currently under development by KAI, requires 210,000 parts. As with all industries, there is no field in which coexistence between large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises is as important as the defense industry. Only when small and medium-sized enterprises that make up the defense industry ecosystem grow soundly can our national defense be strengthened. The government will also pay special attention to investment and financial support for localization of parts." This year, Korea's defense industry export orders reached a record high of $17 billion. Yoon visited Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem in Changwon to confirm plans to develop various weapon systems and check export progress. He encouraged the field workers and promised full support, while confirming the assembly process of the Cheonmu system, which was confirmed to be exported to Poland. He toured the K2 tank, K808 wheeled armored vehicle, and multi-purpose unmanned vehicle at Hyundai Rotem. He promised that he would actively support our defense industry so that it can grow to the next level, asking them to work with pride that the workers who work hard in the field are the main players leading our defense industry.