South Africa and Korea are celebrating their 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
Formal diplomatic relations between the countries were established on 1 December 1992, two years after the release of former President Nelson Mandela, from prison.
However, according to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the historic contact can be traced as far back as the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
This was when the 2nd Fighter Squadron of the then South African Air Force (SAAF) was part of South Africa’s contribution to the United Nations Command with a total of 826 South Africans, who fought in Korea, with 36 casualties.
The fallen heroes are honoured at a section of the new Korean Cultural Centre in Brooklyn, Pretoria.
According to DIRCO, South Africa and Korea’s diplomatic relations have strengthened across all sectors of cooperation.
Since its establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, the nations have concluded 16 bilateral agreements.
These cover sectors such as air transport, protection of investments, the avoidance of double taxation, science and technology, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition, information and communication technology, vocational training and energy.
“South Africa and Korea have complementary economies and enjoy relatively good economic relations. The relationship is driven by demand for raw materials in Korea and demand for consumer goods in South Africa.”
South Africa, according to DIRCO, is Korea’s largest trading partner in Africa.
Meanwhile, Korea is South Africa’s fourth largest trading partner in Asia.
Between 2003 and 2019, Korea had 15 foreign direct investment projects locally, representing a total capital investment of around R31.27 billion.
In addition, total trade between South Africa and the East Asian nation was around R47 billion in 2021, with South Africa exports to Korea amounting to R31 billion and imports reaching R16 billion.
According to the department, this reflects a positive trade balance of R18 billion.
In addition, both countries share painful histories of conflict, violence, and exploitation.
However, the department said, today they celebrate the two countries’ beliefs in shared universal values, the most important core value being freedom.
“As Korea recently marked the 1945 end of colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula, South Africa also annually celebrates the end of apartheid rule and of achieving our long hard struggle to achieve freedom and democracy since 1994.”
The late President Nelson Mandela paid a State Visit to Korea in 1995, while former President Lee Myung-bak came to South Africa in July 2011 for a meeting of the International Olympic Committee.
Former President Jacob Zuma visited Korea in March 2012 to attend a Nuclear Summit.
On 1 December 2018, Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Moon Jae-in had a meeting on the margins of the G20 Summit in Argentina, where they discussed various issues related to bilateral relations.
Korea has also been instrumental in assisting South Africa through valuable knowledge and skills transfer initiatives in various areas of expertise, while the South African community in Korea largely consists of graduates teaching English at schools all over the country.
