Ashraf AboArafe
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Egypt, Kim Young-hyun, continued his visit to Upper Egypt and met with the Governor of Sohag, Major General Tariq Mohamed El-Feki, on December 20, to discuss bilateral cooperation.
Ambassador Kim shared with Governor El-Faqi the latest developments in bilateral relations between Korea and Egypt, including major projects such as the Hyundai Rotem train signal modernization project between Luxor and Nag Hammadi. He expressed his hope that this high level of bilateral cooperation would expand at the national level to include the local government level as well.
Ambassador Kim also praised Sohag’s great achievements in implementing the Decent Life Initiative, and said that Korea will continue to cooperate to help Egypt achieve further progress by introducing Egypt to the “Korean Saemul” movement (New Village Movement), which contributed to the development of rural areas in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s.
For his part, Governor El-Feki said that the Sohag government is working hard to improve the quality of life for the people of Sohag, highlighting Sohag’s recent achievements in implementing the Decent Life Initiative. The governor said that cooperation between Korea and Sohag will be beneficial to both sides, as Korean companies can benefit from their convenient geographical location and reasonable production costs.
On the occasion of his visit to Sohag, Ambassador Kim attended an interactive theatrical performance entitled “Abbas’s Nightmare,” organized in cooperation with the Egyptian Family Planning Association (EFPA) and Y-PEER (Youth Education Peer Education Network), a nationwide youth-led network.
This “edutainment” (education + entertainment) activity was implemented as part of a US$4 million UNFPA program supported by the International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the development aid agency of the Korean government.
The program aims to enhance institutional capacity building to address gender-based violence and also to raise awareness and engage community members, especially youth, in addressing social norms around violence and harmful practices against women and girls.
Ambassador Kim said that the show dealt with the serious issue in a very impressive and innovative way through drama and interactive dialogues. He stressed that women’s empowerment is not only a Sohag issue, but a global issue that must be addressed together. Ambassador Kim went on to say that the Korean government will stand with the people of Sohag in addressing gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation, as well as promoting women’s rights and empowerment.
Ambassador Kim visited Luxor and Sohag governorates in Upper Egypt from December 18 to 20.
