SEOUL– South Korea hopes to increase cooperation with Africa in natural resources and is ready to work together with the continent in terms of global supply chains, Seoul’s vice foreign minister said Friday.
In an address to an academic forum on South Korea-Africa relations in Seoul, Vice Minister Choi Jong-kun pointed out Africa’s growing role in coping with disruptions of global supply chains in resources.
“Africa possesses approximately a third of the world’s natural resources, especially crucial raw materials for electric vehicles and rechargeable batteries, in which we are very much at the cutting edge,” Choi said at the 4th Seoul Dialogue on Africa.
“Korea recognizes Africa’s increasing presence in the global value chain, and we are very much ready to work more with Africa,” he added.
The vice minister said South Korea hopes to create a “partnership for co-prosperity” with Africa through cooperation in health care and climate change response.
Seoul unveiled plans earlier this week to donate COVID-19 vaccines to Africa by working with the African Union, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and global vaccine distribution platform COVAX Facility.
The event, co-organized by the foreign ministry and the Seoul-based Korea-Africa Foundation, was also attended by former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Gabonese Ambassador to South Korea Carlos Boungou, who serves as dean of the African group of ambassadors here.
Source: Yonhap News Agency