2005-2162

Diplomacy
Korea’s trade volume
with Africa
13.4
(Unit: billion dollar)
12.1 12.6
8.5
9.1
5.1
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source: Korea International Trade Association
[YONHAP]
About the continent of Africa
Number of countries 53
Population
1 billion
Total GDP
$1.3 trillion
Source: UN Population Fund
at 2nd Africa Forum in Seoul
dance. Under the initiative, Korea
declared it would triple its development
assistance to Africa by 2008 and would
continue to aid African nations in
improving health care, labor skills and
agricultural productivity.
Korea fell just short of its monetary
target — the figure jumped 2.5 times
from 2005 to 2008 — but it has sent
about 900 volunteers to the continent to
share their know-how and also welcomed
2,000 African trainees to Korea
to study its economic rise.
There are also strategic goals for
Korea in its attempt to get closer to Africa,
because of its massive oil reserves
and natural resources. According to the
Foreign Ministry in Seoul, Africa is
home to 125 billion barrels of crude oil,
or about 10 percent of world reserves.
About 23 percent of all uranium reserves
in the world can be found in Africa.
Korea’s neighbors have long tried to
forge ties with Africa. Japan launched
the Tokyo International Conference on
African Development in 1993 and has
staged the event every five years. Prime
Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently told
the United Nations General Assembly
that Japan intends to strengthen the
TICAD process. At last year’s conference,
Japan pledged $4 billion in ODA
loans by the end of 2012 to help improve
road networks and traffic infrastructure
on the continent.
China has forgiven about $100 million
in debt from African nations since
2000. President Hu Jintao and Premier
Wen Jiabao make regular trips to the
continent to pursue the right to develop
natural resources there in exchange for
massive aid. The Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation, with heads of state in
attendance, has been held every three
years since 2000. Asked if Korea was
lagging behind, Lee Wook-heon, head
of the team organizing the forum at the
Foreign Ministry, said Korea will soon
catch up and even surpass others in its
relations with Africa.
“Our approach is different in that
we’re trying to share our development
experience with Africa [rather than
simply providing aid],” he said. “That
way, hopefully we can get closer to Africa
than others.” A senior Foreign Ministry
official privy to African-related
affairs said the forum gave Korea an
opportunity to review the status of its
partnership with Africa.
“At first, the African Union was hesitant
to build relations with Korea,” the
official said. “Our aid to Africa isn’t
enormous by any means, but, gradually,
they grew to recognize our accomplishments
in economic development.”
The official said the Korean government
would also consider holding multilateral
summit meetings with African
leaders “if we feel they can lead us to a
more effective partnership.”
By Yoo Jee-ho
December 2009 korea 27