South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held summit talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Thursday, signing three cooperation agreements covering education, culture and digital government and announcing a new Middle East diplomatic initiative called SHINE, the presidential office said on Friday. The meeting lasted four-and-a-half hours, exceeding the planned schedule, and marked Lee’s first visit to an African country since taking office and the first visit to Egypt by a South Korean president in an inauguration year. Seoul also said it will contribute $10 million to the Egyptian Red Crescent to support refugees in Gaza.

The summit