South Korean officials want to work more with Mexico and Uganda. They want to grow their influence around the world. On Thursday, they talked about new ways to work together. In Mexico, they want to grow industry. In Uganda, they want to work on energy and artificial intelligence.
Mexico is a very important partner for South Korea in Latin America. Carlos Penafiel is the Mexican ambassador to South Korea. He said the two countries work very closely together. More than 2,000 Korean companies already work in Mexico. Mexico is the main partner for South Korea in Latin America for trade and investment. Now, the two countries want to work on new things like space research, clean energy, and artificial intelligence.
South Korean Trade Minister Park Jung-sung wants to start new trade talks with Mexico. They started these talks in 2007, but the talks stopped in 2008. A new agreement could help trade between Seoul and Mexico City become easier.
South Korea is also looking at Africa. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Uganda's second deputy prime minister, Crispus Walter Kiyonga. Minister Cho asked for help for Korean companies in the nuclear energy and artificial intelligence sectors. One big project is already happening. Last May, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power started work in the Buyende region. They are checking a site for Uganda's first nuclear power plant.
South Korea and Uganda also agreed to work together in agriculture, mineral resources, tourism, and technology. These partnerships help South Korea reach new markets in the Americas and Africa.