S. Korean PM begins three-nation trip for economic diplomacy

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won embarked on a trip Saturday to Egypt, Morocco and Azerbaijan to explore ways of boosting economic cooperation with the countries, his office said Saturday.

As the first leg of his seven-day tour, Chung will stay in Egypt until Monday during which he plans to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Ibrahim Mahlab for talks on South Korean firms' possible participation in the country's massive nuclear reactor construction project and cooperation on defense projects.

He also plans to visit Ain Shams University, which opened a Korean language department for the first time in the Arabic world, to meet students and faculty members there with the goal to support the further spread of Korean culture.

During the three-day stay in Morocco, the prime minister is scheduled to meet with Abdelilah Benkirane to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in such sectors as construction, industrial plants and renewable energy.

Chung will be South Korea's first top-level official to visit the nation since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962, his office said.

In the last leg of the tour, Chung is to travel to Azerbaijan on Wednesday to sit down for talks with President Ilham Aliyev on infrastructure, petro-chemistry and defense manufacturing.

"This trip is expected be a chance to strengthen economic relations and boost friendship with the countries on real terms and to help South Korean firms actively make inroads into overseas markets," Chung's office said in a statement. (Yonhap)