S. Korea's vice foreign minister to visit three African nations to bolster ties

South Korea's vice foreign minister will embark on a nine-day trip to three African nations this weekend to strengthen ties and draw their support for Seoul's greater role in international organizations, his ministry said Friday.

Choi Jong-moon, second vice minister of foreign affairs, will travel to Uganda, Rwanda and Cameron from Nov. 6-14, which will mark the first trip in a decade by a Korean diplomat in the rank, according to the ministry.

During the trip, Choi will meet with the foreign ministers and other senior officials of the respective countries to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

The vice minister plans to request the African nations' support for former South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's candidacy for the next director general post at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the upcoming election in March, the ministry said.

He will also ask for their votes for South Korea's bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for the 2024-25 period, with the election scheduled in June 2023.

To win a non-permanent seat, a country needs to secure at least two thirds of the votes from the countries attending the general assembly, out of the 193 member states.

If elected, it will mark the third time for South Korea to serve as one of the 10 non-permanent UNSC members. Seoul held the two previous seats during the 1996-97 and 2013-14 terms. (Yonhap)