(2nd LD) Park arrives in Uganda on second leg of four-nation tour

(ATTN: UPDATES with Park's meeting with S. Korean doctors)
By Kim Kwang-tae

KAMPALA, May 28 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye arrived in Uganda on Saturday on the second stop of her swing through Africa meant to boost ties with the continent that has huge growth potential.

Park was greeted by Uganda's Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa at Entebbe International Airport before heading straight to a hotel for a meeting with representatives from the Korean community here. Uganda is home to about 400 South Koreans.

Park is set to meet with her Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, on Sunday.

It marks the first time that a South Korean president has visited Uganda since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1963.

South Korea is seeking to strengthen development cooperation with Africa and expand business opportunities in the continent for South Korean companies.

The South Korean government has said the trip could serve as an important occasion in securing cooperation from major countries in Africa over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, citing Uganda is a key hub of operations for North Korea in Africa.

In Ethiopia, Park launched South Korea's aid program for the African nation on Saturday as part of Seoul's new development cooperation with Africa.

South Korea is pushing for comprehensive cooperation with Africa, which has emerged as a continent of opportunity in recent years.

Park attended the ceremony to kick off the program at Addis Ababa University that drew hundreds of people, including Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome.

The “Korea Aid” program will deploy 10 vehicles, including ambulances, to provide mobile health care and nutritional support to local people, who have a difficult time reaching medical facilities. The effort will also allow locals to experience South Korean culture.

More than 20 South Korean doctors and nurses will join hands with their Ethiopian counterparts to provide basic medical services, especially to girls in medically underserved regions.

Park met with South Korean doctors and asked them to make efforts to ensure that the Korea Aid program gets up and running successfully.

Chung Hye-won, a South Korean obstetrician-gynecologist, said the program can help make Ethiopia a healthy society by providing assistance to girls and women. She made the comments after conducting an ultrasound scan of a 28-year-old Ethiopian woman, who is 35 weeks pregnant, in a mobile medical vehicle.

The next stop on her trip is Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday for talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

entropy@yna.co.kr
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