Why does South Korea want a piece of Africa?

South Korea is banking on its first summit with African leaders on Tuesday to raise its profile on the continent and boost economic ties, officials said ahead of the meeting in Seoul.

But in Africa where China, the US, Russia, the European Union, Britain and India have already pitched their ideas, the South Koreans say the two-day event should also be a reflection of shared experiences and lessons learned.

Chung Byung-won, Korea’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a group of journalists that his country was best placed to work with Africa because of a shared history of poverty.

“Among the countries who already held Summit with Africa, not a single country has such history that Korea and Africa share.  Korea overcame those obstacles and achieved remarkable growth not solely by itself but with the support of the international community,” Mr Chung said from Seoul ahead of the Summit.

But this is not an emotional attachment.

South Korea is rushing to tap into Africa’s vast mineral resources, which could power the country’s transition to greener technology. It is also rushing to cement trade ties with Africa. Mr Chung spoke in general terms, saying that his country wanted to strengthen economic cooperation with Africa for development and growth.

“The Republic of Korea (ROK)’s expertise in development, coupled with its unwavering commitment to aid and advanced technologies, positions it to catalyse Africa’s economic growth and sustainable development.

“Meanwhile, Africa’s burgeoning market and ambitious development agendas offer avenues for the ROK’s own growth and supply chain diversification,” Chung said, referring to South Korea’s official name.

Then he turned to Ghana, and Zambia, specifically, to discuss the mineral potential there.

“Since Korea is a leader in electric vehicle production and possesses high competitiveness in advanced industrial sectors such as secondary batteries, the potential for cooperation with Zambia, which is rich in key minerals like copper, is tremendous.

Opportunities also abound in Zambia’s neighbour, Zimbabwe, which is the continent’s number one producer of lithium, a key element in the production of electric vehicle batteries.

The summit, he said, was “the best opportunity for Korea to accompany Africa’s proactive development path based on its own experience and expertise”.

Some 25 African leaders had confirmed their attendance, according to a preliminary message sent to journalists, although Seoul said it had received confirmation that representatives of up to 48 African countries would attend. South Korea, by the way, has 25 embassies on the continent, a relationship that has grown over the past 30 years.

Leaders, including President Mnangagwa, William Ruto of Kenya, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and Paul Kagame of Rwanda are among those in Seoul. South Korea has already granted state visits to President Samia, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio.

Tanzania, Kenya and Morocco are among the first to begin talks on Economic Partnership Agreements with South Korea, while Tanzania has already secured a US$1 billion loan from the Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (ECDF).

The meeting will take the form of bilateral and plenary sessions, as well as meetings with business leaders, giving African leaders the opportunity to pitch their investment environments directly.

But South Korea has marketed the whole meeting as being based on three pillars: enabling the Asian country to engage more with the Global South, building “win-win” economic cooperation, and helping to address common global challenges such as climate change and peace and security. — The East African.