Egypt lauds Korean support aligned with Vision 2030
The National Day, commemorated every July 23, celebrates the 1952 revolution that abolished the monarchy and established modern Egypt. As the country looks ahead, Vision 2030 serves as a blueprint to enhance the quality of life through justice, inclusion and civic participation.
'Complementing these investments, KOTRA, KOICA and the Export-Import Bank of Korea have supported Egypt's development through programs in green energy, digital transformation, vocational training and rural development — aligned with Egypt's Vision 2030,' said Rahman during a commemorative event in Seoul.
He highlighted Egypt's $59 billion commitment to building a new smart city east of Cairo — integrating artificial intelligence, the internet of things, automated infrastructure and sustainable transport, expressing gratitude toward Samsung, LG, Hyundai Rotem, KHNP and Doosan, for investments in projects such as metro trains to the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant.
'The distance between the Pyramids of Giza and the palaces of Seoul may be great, but our aspirations converge,' Rahman noted.
Egypt and Korea established diplomatic relations on April 13, 1995, evolving from cordial exchanges into a comprehensive cooperative partnership, significantly strengthened by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's 2016 visit to Seoul and then-President Moon Jae-in's 2022 visit to Cairo.
Meanwhile, Lee Tae-woo, Korea's Ambassador for International Cyber Cooperation, noted that bilateral trade surged from $500 million in 1995 to over $3 billion in 2023.
Lee shared an Arabic saying, 'Al rafik kabl al tarik,' which means 'Choose your friend before choosing your path.' He added, 'With a good friend, even a tough road becomes enjoyable.'
The event was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, embassy officials, foreign residents in Korea, Korean company executives, nongovernmental organizations and the media.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
40 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
Stimulus coupons: An FAQ in 2 minutes
What are stimulus coupons? A stimulus measure to revive domestic spending and support small businesses Funded by 13.9 trillion won ($10.1 billion) within a 31.8 trillion won supplementary budget From 2020 to 2022, eight rounds of supplementary budgets totaled 183.3 trillion won Korea rolled out "universal" emergency relief funds for the first time during the pandemic How much will each person receive? 1st round: General public: 150,000 won per person Low income households and single-parent families: 300,000 won per person Basic living allowance recipients: 400,000 won per person Additional payouts: 30,000 won for residents outside the capital region and 50,000 won for residents in depopulated rural areas 2nd round: An additional 100,000 won per person, excluding those in the top 10 percent income bracket Who is eligible? Korean nationals: All South Korean citizens residing in Korea as of June 18. Those abroad on June 18 can apply after returning by Sep. 12 (first round) or Oct. 31 (second round) Parents apply for children born after Jan. 1, 2007, and newborns born before Oct. 31 Foreign nationals: Those registered with Korean family members in the same household registry Permanent residents (F-5), marriage migrants (F-6), or recognized refugees (F-2-4) with national health insurance or medical aid coverage Where can the coupons be used? Small retailers with annual sales under 3 billion won are eligible. These include: Traditional markets, local grocery stores, restaurants, clothing shops, hair salons, optical stores and private academies Franchise stores operated by individual owners Delivery apps: Only accepted if paid in person using the store's terminal Not eligible: Large retailers, online malls, corporate-operated franchise stores, luxury goods shops, duty-free shops, and non-purchase expenses such as taxes and utilities How to receive the funds: 1st round of applications: July 21 to Sept. 12 In the first week, applications are scheduled by the last digit of one's birth year: 1 & 6 on Monday; 2 & 7 on Tuesday; 3 & 8 on Wednesday; 4 & 9 on Thursday and 5 & 0 on Friday. Credit card recharge: Apply via card issuer's website or app Mobile or card-type regional vouchers: Apply via local government apps Paper vouchers or prepaid cards: Apply in person at community centers 2nd round of applications: Sept. 22 to Oct. 31 Are there regional limits? Usage is restricted to the registered area Metropolitan residents can use the coupons throughout their city, and provincial residents can use them throughout their city, town, or county When do the coupons expire?
![[Lee Kyong-hee] Dr. Oh's surgical tool bags in Pyongyang](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F07%2F13%2Fnews-p.v1.20250713.aee1cf38ab284a1aa9616ebb70565675_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Lee Kyong-hee] Dr. Oh's surgical tool bags in Pyongyang
As the Lee Jae Myung administration's North Korea policy stirred expectations of detente and potential geopolitical tremors, an obituary in a newspaper caught my eye last month. Dr. Oh Indong, a well-known Korean American orthopedic surgeon and unification activist, passed away on June 19 at his Pasadena, California, home at age 86. Oh enjoyed international acclaim for his expertise in artificial hip joint replacement. A former Harvard Medical School faculty member, he invented major improvements in joint replacement devices and prosthesis systems, obtaining 11 patents and winning prestigious research awards. Back in his homeland, though, his name is more often associated with the pro-unification movement. He was noted for his outspoken views about the division of the Korean Peninsula, including the role of the South Korea-US alliance as an impediment to unity, and possible solutions. How did Oh connect his successful medical career in America and his activism for Korean reunification? The long journey began in 1992, when Dr. Kwon Young-sei, then-president of the Korean American Medical Association, phoned with an audacious suggestion: 'Dr. Oh, let's go to Pyongyang!' Oh agreed immediately. 'Oh, yes! Of course, I'll go.' Oh soon was on his way to the North Korean capital with the KAMA delegation. Its goal was to lay the groundwork for academic exchange and medical support. The trip was before the so-called 'first North Korea nuclear crisis' led to the travel ban on American citizens to the North. 'Some of my colleague doctors who had privately visited North Korea to meet their relatives lamented the poor health care conditions there. I wanted to confirm the North's medical environment with my own eyes so I could do whatever was possible to be of some help,' Oh recalled in his 2010 book, 'My Surgical Tool Bags Left in Pyongyang.' Thus, as part of a five-member delegation, Oh arrived in Pyongyang on Oct. 10, 1992. That night, he could hardly sleep with curiosity and expectations. Though the sights in the city were unfamiliar, he found that people were not the 'red-faced demons to be defeated.' Contrary to the rhetoric heard in South Korea, the people north of the Demilitarized Zone displayed the same warmth. The realization came with a layer of sadness. That first sleepless night in Pyongyang, Oh did not think about returning many times in the years to come. But he realized that he needed to have a correct understanding of the causes of division and the state of confrontation. Upon returning from the trip, he began studying modern and contemporary Korean history, rediscovering national history and gaining a renewed awareness of division and animosity. In 1997, Oh launched Korea-2000, a non-governmental research council, along with like-minded Korean Americans. The group wrote recommendations on unification policy for the governments of both Koreas. In January 1998, Oh visited Seoul and Pyongyang to deliver the recommendations when hopes for reconciliation surged with the election of President Kim Dae-jung in the South and the ascension of Chairman Kim Jong-il in the North. Two years later, the leaders held a historic summit and signed the South-North Joint Declaration, also known as the June 15 Declaration. As co-chair of the US committee tasked with fulfilling the declaration, Oh strongly advocated the Korean initiative in cross-border exchanges and economic cooperation. He called for an 'economic community under a confederacy of two states,' pending peaceful reunification, and suggested joint management of the North's nuclear arsenal under the principles of nonproliferation and eventual denuclearization when reunification is achieved. 'Combine the South's mighty capital and technology and the North's abundant natural resources and human labor, drastically reducing the defense spending and military troops of both sides, then the confederacy will emerge as the world's fifth economic power with a population of 80 million within 10 years,' Oh reiterated. 'Unification will not mean the South's losses. It will be hugely profitable business for both Koreas.' For a genuine Korean initiative, Oh emphasized direct inter-Korean dialogue, rather than bilateral negotiations between the US and North Korea. In his article, 'Make South Korea the Real Party to North Korea,' published by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability in 2000, Oh argued that the US wartime operational control over the South Korean forces under the Combined Forces Command hinders North-South dialogue. Oh began his medical assistance in the North in 2009, with joint operations with orthopedists at Pyongyang Medical University. On each of his nearly annual visits thereafter, he brought a load of artificial joints and surgical instruments. He also helped the North produce expensive artificial joints and prosthesis systems to promote self-sufficiency. 'Each time, I left my bags behind in Pyongyang. It was my promise to return,' Oh wrote in his book. 'I believe that in every human affair, communication and trust are the keys to solution. Through my visits, I experienced building trust and camaraderie with North Koreans.' Oh believed that he was tasked with healing the ailing legs of the North and the South to enable the two halves to stand firmly together. His mission remains unfulfilled. His surgical tool bags in Pyongyang must be awaiting another visionary.
Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
N. Korea bristles at S. Korea-U.S.-Japan air drills
North Korea on Sunday blasted recent combined air drills conducted by South Korea, the United States and Japan, saying such joint military actions are "the main danger factors heightening the level of the military tension" on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding region. "We express serious concern over their hostile acts of persistently conducting provocative and threatening military actions while deliberately ignoring the security concern of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and strongly warn of the grave consequences to be entailed by them on the regional situation," the head of the North Korean defense ministry's policy office said in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The statement referred to North Korea by its official name. On Friday, Seoul's defense ministry said the three nations had held the air drills over international waters off the southern South Korean island of Jeju and involved at least one U.S. B-52H bomber -- the strategic bomber's first deployment near the Korean Peninsula this year. The North Korean official also charged that the tripartite military alliance has "completely changed into a nuclear-based triangular military alliance." "Irresponsible acts of the US, Japan and the ROK (South Korea) steadily heightening the level of tension and danger on the Korean peninsula should be closely watched and deterred," the North's statement added. "It is our just sovereign right to take countermeasures against provocative military actions such as the moves to strengthen the multilateral military alliance threatening the security of the region and the joint military drills with clear aggressive character." (Yonhap)
