Ham Sang-wook, deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, has met top officials of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discuss bilateral ties and exchanges during his trip to the country, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Ham paid courtesy calls on President Felix Tshisekedi and Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen'Apala during his trip to Kinshasa from Monday through Thursday -- the first such visit by a senior Seoul official since the peaceful transfer of power in DR Congo in 2019.

Ham's trip was designed to deepen economic, social and cultural cooperation with the African country and reinforce South Korea's partnership with the African Union, which is chaired by Tshisekedi this year.

During the meeting with Tshisekedi, Ham took note of the president's leadership in ensuring his country's political stability and socioeconomic development, and its commitment to the African Union as this year's chair.

Tshisekedi expressed his appreciation for Seoul's support to help his country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery efforts in the aftermath of a major volcanic eruption in May.

The president also voiced hope for greater cooperation with South Korea in various areas, including education, public health, agriculture and energy, the ministry said.

During the meeting with Lutundula, Ham asked him to participate in the South Korea-Africa forum that Seoul plans to host in December. The ministerial-level forum was launched in 2006 to strengthen the partnership with Africa.

Ham also called for DR Congo to improve the country's investment conditions so that South Korean businesses can operate more smoothly, the ministry said. (Yonhap)