South Korean FM Yun Byung-se to visit Algeria next week

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will visit Algeria next week for talks with his counterpart on boosting support for South Korean businesses in the North African nation, the ministry said Friday.

Yun will arrive in Algiers Wednesday after attending the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

During his two-day stay, Yun plans to hold talks with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and meet with officials from South Korean firms doing business there, the ministry said in a press release. The two countries mark their 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.

A large number of South Korea firms are involved in infrastructure construction projects in Algeria, with their total value reaching US$12 billion as of the end of last year.

Yun is expected to ask for the Algerian government's assistance in helping South Korean businesses win some $4 billion worth of additional construction projects, a ministry official told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.

The ministers' talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including the exchange of high-level officials, cooperation on the international stage, and the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the Middle East and Africa, according to the press release.