South Korea and Egypt on Thursday formally began negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and raised their relationship to a strategic partnership, after a summit in Seoul between President Lee Jae Myung and visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Lee announced the outcome at a joint press conference at the presidential office. He said the two governments had declared the start of talks on the trade pact, which the leaders agreed to pursue during his visit to Cairo in November 2025. Trade officials from both countries signed a joint declaration on promoting the agreement in Egypt in January.
The two sides signed or revised 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding. They cover social security, information technology, clean energy, shipbuilding, maritime affairs, power infrastructure, higher education and cultural exchanges. Lee said South Korea was the first Asian country to sign a social security accord with Egypt, which is meant to spare workers posted abroad from paying pension contributions in both countries.
On defence, the leaders described the joint production of K9 self-propelled howitzers as a successful model of industrial cooperation and agreed to widen collaboration. Lee said he hoped the partnership would move beyond arms sales to local production and technology cooperation that strengthens Egypt’s industrial base. He also suggested South Korean shipbuilding expertise could help Egypt develop a greener shipbuilding sector.
The countries designated 2027 as a year of mutual cultural exchange.
Bilateral trade totalled $874 million in January-August 2026, down from $920 million in the same period of 2025, according to Egyptian government figures.
No timetable for concluding the CEPA negotiations was given in the reports reviewed.
