President Lee Jae Myung (left) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Nov. 20, 2025, shake hands at their joint news conference at the presidential palace in Cairo. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Jeong Euiseok

President Lee Jae Myung has held a bilateral summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who arrived in Korea on a state visit.

On the morning of Oct. 8, both attended an official welcoming ceremony for the Egyptian leader, followed by their summit, signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding and official luncheon.

Their talks featured in-depth discussions on economic cooperation including trade and investment, infrastructure and supply chains as well as expansion of people-to-people exchanges, regional developments and international issues.

"Egypt is a key hub for global logistics connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East and a core partner for Korea in Africa and the Middle East," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on Oct. 6 said in a written briefing. "Since forming official ties in 1995, both countries have developed close cooperative ties in a range of fields including economy, culture and education."

"President El-Sisi's state visit to Korea is expected to serve as a crucial opportunity to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and further strengthen Korea's cooperation with Africa and the Middle East."

Ending on Oct. 9, President El-Sisi's three-day trip to Korea is his first since 2016. His summit in Seoul with President Lee came about 11 months after the latter's visit to Egypt in November last year.

innocence@korea.kr