Premier leads delegation to South Korea to build on critical relations

Media Release: Premier Winde leads delegation to South Korea to build on critical economic relations

Premier Alan Winde is leading a Western Cape Government (WCG) delegation on an official visit to South Korea. Topping the agenda is seeking further investment and trade opportunities that would mutually benefit both the Western Cape and South Korea.

“Deepening relations with South Korea, specifically the city and region of Busan, is important to driving the Western Cape’s encouraging economic growth as well as offering our South Korean partners further opportunities at home,” said the Premier in a meeting with a delegation from the Busan Metropolitan Municipality. “Through strategic international partnerships, like the one we have with South Korea, we must keep learning from other countries, bring these lessons back home so that we can optimise key aspects of our provincial economy.”

The Western Cape and Busan Metropolitan Municipality have enjoyed more than 20 years of relations, having signed a cooperation agreement in 2000. Busan is South Korea’s second most populous city, located in the Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region, which is the country’s largest industrial area.

Energy and logistics are among the critical areas that the delegation will be exploring during the trip. Mr Park Su Won, the Busan Metropolitan Municipality’s Director for Future Energy, emphasised the urgent need to decarbonise Busan’s economy, with the aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Premier Winde noted, “As much as we need to focus on growing our economies to create more jobs, we have to do this in a responsible manner, one which takes into account protecting our natural environment and ameliorating the impact of climate change.” He explained that the Western Cape’s Energy Resilience Programme factors in the crucial role renewable energy and independent power producers will play in the province’s plan for energy resilience – our Integrated Resource Plan, while also creating employment and innovation opportunities.

The WCG delegation will be visiting the Port of Busan, the largest in South Korea. The Premier emphasised, “We want to consider what our South Korean partners are doing to make this logistics hub the success that it currently is and utilise these insights for the Port of Cape Town (PoCT). The PoCT was ranked 344th out of 348 ports on the Container Port Performance Index for 2022. This is unacceptable if we are to achieve breakout economic growth as envisaged in our Growth For Jobs plan.”