Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will host an "Iftar" dinner this week with a group of diplomats and business leaders here from Muslim countries, ministry officials said Tuesday.

Iftar, which literally means "breakfast," refers to the first meal Muslims have in the evening after a day of fasting on each day of the Ramadan month. The ministry has hosted the dinner since 2004 to promote ties with Muslim nations.

About 40 ambassadors, business and religious leaders from the Organization of the Islamic Conference member states were invited to the dinner set for Thursday, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Iftar dinner aims to boost understanding about Islamic culture and to strengthen diplomatic relations with the countries," the statement said.(Yonhap)