The leaders of Korea and Egypt agreed Thursday to launch negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to expand trade and investment. President Lee Jae Myung and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, laying the groundwork for closer cooperation in defense, energy and technology alongside trade and investment. The agreements were announced after a summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul during the Egyptian leader’s state visit. CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that promotes broader economic cooperation beyond market liberalization, including investment and other areas of economic collaboration. The talks follow an agreement to pursue the pact reached at the leaders’ previous summit in Egypt in November 2025. Their reunion in Seoul comes about 11 months later, with El-Sisi making his first visit to Korea in a decade. “I hope the CEPA talks will establish a solid institutional foundation for realizing both countries’ economic development goals,” Lee said, noting that the two countries could b