“Koreafrica”: An Ideal Partnership for Synergy?
Africa, composed of 54 countries, occupies 20.4percent (30,221,532 square kilometers) of the totalland on earth. It is a huge continent with a populationof approximately one billion. Colonized fora long time by Western powers, African countriesfinally became independent by the early 1960s.Nevertheless, for geographical, political, or ideologicalreasons, most of them did not quickly cometo establish a close relationship with Korea. Sub-Saharan Africa especially remained as a fantasticyet unknown world for Koreans for decades.
Step by step, however, Korea has set up diplomaticrelations with all 54 African countries, and recentbilateral cooperation is strengthening in volumeand frequency. This paper will explore the mainmotives for the increase in African-Korean cooperation.It will also look into the unique approachesof Korea in these bilateral interactions as well as theroles Korea can play for sustainable developmentof Africa. Finally, the paper will explore challengesand risks to consider when undertaking cooperativeprojects with African countries.