Western Cape Government Moves to Strengthen Trade and Logistics Ties with South Korea

The Western Cape Government (WCG) in South Africa is set to spearhead a delegation to South Korea, aiming to bolster trade relations and foster collaborative learning. This delegation is geared towards strengthening ties with South Korea's second-most populous city and region of Busan, located in the nation's largest industrial area - the Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region.

The mission comes as a continuity of a cooperation agreement signed between the WCG and Busan Metropolitan Municipality back in 2000, according to Southern Africa’s Freight News.

In exploring energy and logistics, among vital fields during the trip, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde emphasized the importance of forming strategic international partnerships. Winde said, ‘Through international partnerships like the one we have with South Korea, we absorb lessons from other countries and apply these back home to improve key aspects of our provincial economy.’

The Director for Future Energy at the Busan Metropolitan Municipality, Park Su Won, highlighted the urgency to decarbonise Busan’s economy - a target set for carbon neutrality by 2050. Premier Winde responded by asserting that the Western Cape's Energy Resilience Programme is well aligned with the goal of reducing carbon emissions, highlighting renewable energy and independent power producers' significant role in the province’s energy resilience plan.

Additionally, Winde raised concerns over the poor ranking of the Port of Cape Town (PoCT) on the Container Port Performance Index for 2022. He emphasized the need to learn from South Korea's methods, especially at the Port of Busan, the largest in South Korea, to improve the PoCT's performance to boost economic growth.