President Park Geun-hye will meet key officials while at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.<br />She's there to understand the union's past so Korea can help it achieve its political and economic goals. <br />Kim-jung soo sheds light on the history of the AU... and its promising future ahead. <br />The African Union is the largest coalition in the world in terms of size and population, with 54 member states...Morocco is the only African country excluded from membership. <br />The union was established in May 2001 and launched on July 2002 in South Africa. <br /><br /><br /><br />It recognizes four official languages, and there are estimated to be over a 1000 African dialects.<br />It has a combined population of more than one-billion people, and a combined GDP of over 2-trillion U.S. dollars.<br />The latest member to join the AU was South Sudan in 2011. <br /><br />Africa went through a rapid period of decolonization beginning in 1950, and the precursor to the AU, the Organization of African Unity, was founded in 1963.<br /><br />It was launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. <br />The OAU's main purpose was to facilitate coordination with other members to achieve a better life for the African people.<br />Another goal involved eradicating all remaining forms of colonial oppression. <br />The OAU was disbanded on July 2002 by its final chairperson, South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union the same year. <br />Conceived by then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a "United States of Africa," the structure of the African Union is loosely modelled after the European Union.<br /><br /><br />Although the members are united under one banner, the union still has to improve in many ways economically.<br />The AU generates 70 percent of the strategic minerals business and is an important player in international trade, but 42 currencies in circulation complicate transcations.<br />The AU's future objectives include the creation of a singular customs union, a central bank, and a common currency. The union is<br />
