Prime Minister Chung Hong-won will start a tour of Egypt, Morocco and Azerbaijan this weekend to discuss ways of boosting economic cooperation with the countries, his office said Thursday.

The seven-day tour will start on Saturday with Egypt, where Chung plans to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Ibrahim Mahlab to discuss South Korean firms' possible participation in the country's massive nuclear reactor construction project, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

Chung will fly to Morocco on Monday to hold a meeting with Abdelilah Benkirane and explore ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the sectors of construction, industrial plants and renewable energy.

With this forthcoming visit, Chung would mark the highest-ever South Korean official visiting Morocco since the bilateral ties were officially forged in 1962. 

In the last leg of the tour, the prime minister will travel to Azerbaijan on Wednesday to discuss economic cooperation with President Ilham Aliyev on infrastructure, petrochemistry and defense manufacturing, his office noted. (Yonhap)