SEOUL-- First Vice Minister Choi Jong-kun will visit Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria next week for high-level talks on bilateral relations and other issues, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

His weeklong trip, slated for Aug. 14-21, is intended to diversify South Korea's diplomacy portfolio by deepening cooperation with the African countries in areas including health, education, infrastructure and manufacturing, the ministry said in a release.

During the visit, Choi is expected to discuss cooperation to help South Korean exporters continue their businesses in the region amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Morocco is known as a key gateway for exports to North America and Europe, as well as a manufacturing hub, while Senegal has worked with South Korea in deep-sea fishing, according to the ministry. Many South Korean companies are involved in large construction projects in Nigeria.

Cooperation in maritime security will also be a key agenda item in talks with Nigerian officials, the ministry said, given the instability in the sea due to the continued pirate attacks on commercial vessels.

In Senegal, Choi plans to request its foreign minister's attendance at the upcoming South Korea-Africa forum that Seoul is pushing to host in December. Senegal is next up as the rotating chair of the African Union (AU) -- the largest regional bloc -- starting 2022.

Source: Yonhap News Agency