03 Jun 2024

The immaculate infrastructure of the Republic of Korea's capital Seoul will welcome African heads of state and government, among them President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, as they participate in the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit to be held here this week.

A nation that was one of the world's underdeveloped nations when African states clamoured for independence in the 1960s, Korea will now be the Cinderella at the ball, wooed by continental suitors; after seeing her forsaken circumstances remarkably transform to fortune in a short span of a generation.

“This country has transformed from underdeveloped status to being a first world nation, largely through knowledge and innovation, something our President has been passionate about achieving for our country,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Lemogang Kwape told BOPA.

He said the aspirations of Botswana gravitating towards being a high income status as espoused by the National Vision 2036, could find better expression if the country built on the expertise and experience of a nation like South Korea.

“President Masisi often speaks of our country developing a knowledge based economy. Korea has achieved this very well, which catapulted them towards developed status, one of only 19 states in the world whose gross domestic product (GDP) has surpassed the one trillion dollar mark, largely through innovation as they did not have mineral resource endowment,” Dr Kwape said.

He added that government had been making strategic partnerships with countries such as Switzerland, Estonia and South Korea which had similar democratic values and had developed through heavy investment in innovation and knowledge systems, something Botswana yearns to achieve.

“If you look at our current budget, we increased spending in research and development, so that we could identify our challenges and develop solutions, leverage on modern and indigenous knowledge systems then start driving innovation which is proven to be the world's best wealth creator,” Dr Kwape said.

Located in the Korean Peninsula of South East Asia, close to Japan, China and Russia, Korea was historically ruled by dynasties for centuries.

The Korean Empire was annexed by Japan in 1910, ending with Japanese surrender to the allied forces at the close of World War II in 1945.

Thereafter, Korea was divided into two zones; the northern zone occupied by Soviet Russia, the southern zone by the United States of America.

After reunification negotiations failed, the southern zone officially became the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in August 1948, while the northern zone became the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) a month later.

The two sides continued to make claim to having the only legitimate government over the Korean Peninsula, and fought the devastating Korean War in the 1950s.

From the ashes of occupation and war, South Korea from the 1960s rapidly developed. 

Along with Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, South Korea rose as one of the four Asian Tigers that had the world's highest economic growth rate from the 1960s to the 1990s moving from third world underdeveloped status to first world within a generation.

Driven by export-led industrialisation, companies such a Hyundai, SK Telecom, Daewoo, LG, Samsung emerged, and South Korea moved from having the same GDP with Ghana in 1960 to trillion dollar status in 2006.

The country became a member of the group of major developed states, the G20 and Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development as well as being part of the major lender states group, the Paris Club.

South Korea enjoys one of the world’s highest standards of living as ranked by the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy and quality of life for the average people. 

The country is also ranked among the world’s best in terms of internet connectivity and high-speed railway network.

The inaugural Korea-Africa Summit offers African states the opportunity to leverage on the South Korea experience as the continent seeks rapid development through the African Union Agenda 2063 blueprint.

“In Africa, we have adopted the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), and Korea is the right partner to work with”, Dr Kwape reflected. ENDS