Ashraf AboArafe
Celebrating the National Day of the South Korean Embassy, Ambassador Kim Young-hyun delivered an opening speech as follows:
Indeed, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to my home, which many Egyptians call “the White House of Maadi.” Thank you all for honoring this year’s National Day celebration with your presence.
We Koreans call this day “Jacheonjeol,” which means “celebrating the day the gates of heaven opened.” The first Korean state was established on this day about 4,356 years ago. So, today we celebrate the 4,356th anniversary of the founding of our nation. This gives us Koreans a sense of national identity as a distinct people and a source of great pride.
Today we also celebrate Armed Forces Day, which falls on October 1st. I welcome all members of our Armed Forces and the guests in uniform who have honored us by being here with us tonight. Thank you for your dedication and service!
For me, this evening is the first National Day party I have hosted in Cairo. Four months have passed since my arrival in this wonderful country; So let me take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude, humility, and gratitude for all the warm welcome, friendship, and valuable guidance I received from the Egyptian government, the people, the Korean community in Egypt, and my fellow ambassadors.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you all know, Korea has risen from the ruins of the Korean War 70 years ago to become a leading economic and democratic power and a cultural trend setter. Korea is now the 12th largest economy and the 7th largest commercial country in the world, is one of the most innovative countries, and is at the forefront of advanced technology.
Korea is one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers, shipbuilders, steel producers, and electric vehicle battery manufacturers. Korea’s share in the global market for semiconductors (memory chips) exceeds 70%. The global market share of Samsung Galaxy smartphones is more than 20%, surpassing Apple’s 17% share. This year, Korea became the seventh country in the world to succeed in launching satellites into orbit using a locally made space rocket. More than anything else, Korea is the only country in the modern history of the world that has transitioned from a recipient of international aid to a donor of official development assistance.
In this wonderful journey of transformation and achievement, we Koreans owe a lot to the help of the international community, as well as to the perseverance and hard work of the Korean people. Now we would like to give back to the international community.
We would like to assume more responsibilities and roles in the international community. With the new vision and strategy of the “Global Pivotal State”, called GPS for short, our government wants to contribute more to freedom, peace and prosperity in the world, based on shared values and solidarity.
Recently, at the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, my president reaffirmed our strong will to increase our efforts in this regard. In overcoming global challenges such as the development gap, climate gap, and digital divide, Korea is ready to play bigger roles and share what it has achieved.
As part of these endeavors, Korea would like to host the 2030 Busan World Expo. Busan, the gateway connecting the Eurasia-Pacific continent, and the logistics hub of major economic regions, we are confident that Busan has a lot to offer for global peace and prosperity. Busan is ready!
In addition, through the Global Hub State (GPS) initiative, Korea wants to strongly engage with this region. We also plan to host the inaugural conference of leaders of Korea and Africa in Korea in June next year, in the presence of the 54 leaders of the African continent.
There is no doubt that Egypt stands out as one of Korea’s most important partners in this region.
Dear friends,
Tonight, the two beautiful ladies Dalia Farid and Hana Lee sang the Korean and Egyptian national anthems beautifully, touching our hearts.
I learned that the words of the Egyptian national anthem, “My Country, My Country, My Country,” are taken from the famous speech of the legendary nationalist leader Mustafa Kamel.
He said, “If I were not Egyptian, I would like to be Egyptian.”
With all humility, may I say, “I am Egyptian. We are all Egyptians!”
Over the past 4 months, I have come to learn how much the Egyptian people love their country, and how proud they are of their history and culture. Egypt, the cradle of human civilization, has captivated the world with its wonderful cultural heritage for thousands of years, and will continue to inspire the world.
In fact, Egypt is the mother of the world.
Over the past four months, I have had the privilege of visiting many places, attending many events, and meeting many people from all walks of life. I met ordinary citizens in the Cairo metro, in the streets, and in the markets as well. Through all of these meetings, I have gained a renewed appreciation for the value and depth of cooperation between Egypt and Korea.
Since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to Korea in 2016, which revitalized the comprehensive cooperative partnership, Korean-Egyptian relations have been developed tremendously and continuously.
Egypt is one of our largest export partners on the African continent. Two-way trade volume rose to US$3.2 billion last year. In pursuit of huge trading potential, a joint study of experts will soon begin to discuss concrete ideas for creating a mutually beneficial bilateral trading system.
Egypt is also one of Korea’s important investment destinations in Africa, and Korean investment in Egypt has now reached US$800 million with 34 major companies operating in Egypt, creating thousands of valuable job opportunities for Egyptians.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are prime examples. Their “Made in Egypt” products are exported to dozens of countries, helping realize Egypt’s aspiration to become an economic engine in this region, supported by manufacturing and export bases.
Korean companies such as KHNP (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power) and Doosan Energility are involved in the construction of the first nuclear power plant.
In Egypt, in Dabaa.
Hyundai Rotem, which has been supplying the Cairo Metro with high-quality trains since 2012, will provide 40 additional metro trains. What is beautiful about this cooperation is that the trains will be manufactured here in Egypt by Egyptian workers in partnership with an Egyptian company. The factory is being built in the East Port Said Economic Zone, which I visited last month.
Our two countries are cooperating in the green transition as well. We are working on the “Green Canal Project” for the Suez Canal where the diesel-powered tug boats in the Suez Canal will be replaced by environmentally friendly LNG tug boats and ferries.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is enhancing its activities in line with the Korean government’s designation of Egypt as a priority cooperation partner in 2021.
KOICA, founded in 1991, has successfully implemented many projects in Egypt. More than 1,800 Egyptians have benefited from KOICA’s various short- and long-term human resource development programs in Korea alongside other public and private scholarship programs.
In the field of education, especially in the field of technology, the Korean-Egyptian Technological University in Beni Suef is a good example of this. It is a symbol of excellent cooperation in the field of technical training for higher education and cooperation between universities and industry. Due to the successful implementation of the first phase of the project from 2016 to 2022, KOICA will contribute an additional $8 million to Beni Suef Technological University for the second phase of the project over the next six years.
Last week, President Sisi announced the government’s plan to increase the number of this innovative new type of technological university to 17 in addition to the current 10 universities.
ladies and gentlemen,
Last but not least, I believe that communication between our peoples and cultural exchange is a very important factor for the future of relations between Korea and Egypt.
I noted with great pleasure that there is a real affinity between our two countries that transcends geographical distances and different cultural heritages.
Many young Egyptians have come to love K-Pop, Korean dramas, Korean movies, and Korean food. They seem to like everything that starts with the letter “K”. The widespread spread of the Korean Wave led to increased interest in studying the Korean language. I am very grateful to Egyptians for their love for Korea.
At the same time, more and more Koreans are also becoming attracted to the depth of Egyptian culture and the beauty of its nature. The number of Korean tourists visiting Egypt is recovering to levels before the Corona pandemic by tens of thousands. However, this number remains below the reachable potential; Especially since 30 million Koreans out of a population of 55 million travel abroad annually. I wish with all my heart that my Korean colleagues will have more opportunities to see Egypt’s wonderful cultural and historical heritage and I want them to meet friendly Egyptians and share the uniqueness of each people with each other.
Today I am very happy that there are many Korean brothers here with us who love Egypt even before that and more than me. Allow me to thank the Korean community in Egypt not only for making invaluable contributions in deepening the friendly relations between our two countries, but also for playing an indispensable role in promoting economic cooperation and cultural understanding between Cairo and Seoul, Alexandria and Incheon; Luxor and Gyeongju; Sharm El Sheikh and Jeju; Aswan and Gwangju. These are sister cities between our two countries.
I hope that the Korean community will remain an inspiring foundation for close and close relations, strong ties and a bridge of friendship between the two peoples. 
Dear friends,
Tonight, we are gathered here to celebrate Korea’s birthday and reflect on the wonderful journey we have taken.
Over the past 28 years of our diplomatic relations, we have achieved significant cooperation at both the governmental and private levels. The ties between our peoples have been continuously strengthened and deepened. We take great pride in our achievements. We also look to the future with great optimism. I look forward to another important event in the future as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2025.
I would like to conclude by saying that I feel most humbled and committed to working closely with Egyptian friends towards our common goal. Korea, your trusted partner, will continue to stand by your side and Korea will remain your true friend. Certainly, we will make every effort to explore new ways of cooperation in the coming years and decades. Let’s work together.
Also, I sincerely thank you all for your kind presence, and your friendship. I hope you all have a wonderful evening! Thank you for your kind attention.
