South Korea to support wealth creation, gives gifts of love to Uganda
Kampala. South Korean president Park Geun-Hye has promised to “walk together” with Uganda in the area of development, specifically wealth creation.
Ms Park, who praised the ties between Uganda and South Korea, pledged to avail resources that would help Uganda to achieve dynamic development.
“…seizing this opportunity, my administration and I will work to further advance our bilateral relationship on the basis of a mutually beneficial partnership in which we can learn and grow together,” she said while addressing the business forum at the weekend.
“As the Ugandan government has highlighted the importance of building infrastructure in its Second National Development Plan, I place high hopes on bilateral co-operation in this field,” she said.
Today, President Museveni and Ms Park Geun-Hye will travel to Kampiringisa in Mpigi District to open the National Farmer’s Leadership Centre.
The centre is expected to serve as a pivotal institution in providing tailored assistance for the Saemaul Undong community movement.
“Korea will provide all possible support to make sure that the Saemaul Undong takes firm root in Uganda, thereby contributing to the development of rural communities,” Ms Park Geun-hye said.
Saemaul Undong, also known as the New Community Movement, was a political initiative launched on April 22, 1970 by South Korean president Park Chung-hee to modernise rural South Korean economy.
The movement initially sought to rectify the growing disparity of the standard of living between the nation’s urban centres, which were rapidly industrialising, and the small villages, which continued to be mired in poverty.
The South Korean business community led by Mr Seung-Cheol Lee, the vice chairperson of Federation of Korean Industries also donated “gifts of love” to Ugandan children.
Handing over the gifts, Mr Seung-Cheol said that the relationship between Uganda and South Korea is distinctive since Uganda is the only African country best practicing the Saemaul Undong movement.
The gifts that included 16,500 sets of school materials (bags and 10 types of stationary-set), footballs, and T-shirts for adults were from the South Korean business community under their umbrella Federation of Korean Industries (FKI).