Foreign minister of East Timor to make 1st official visit to Korea
East Timor's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, first from left, holds hands with other Foreign Ministers of ASEAN during a group photo session ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu City, Philippines, May 7. Reuters-Yonhap
East Timor's top diplomat plans to visit Seoul next week for talks with Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the economy, security and a range of other sectors, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
The visit by East Timorese Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas will mark the first official trip to Korea by an East Timorese top diplomat since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2002, according to the ministry.
During talks scheduled for Monday, Cho and Freitas will discuss cooperation in the economy, development, security and international affairs, as well as ways to implement the vision for the comprehensive strategic partnership between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ministry said.
Timor-Leste became ASEAN's 11th member in October 2025.
"The upcoming talks are expected to provide an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral ties and explore ways to deepen cooperation between Korea and ASEAN," ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a press briefing.