A Western Cape Government (WCG) delegation is heading for South Korea to strengthen trade ties – specifically with the city and region of Busan.
“Through strategic international partnerships, like the one we have with South Korea, we must keep learning from other countries and bring these lessons back home so that we can optimise key aspects of our provincial economy,” said Premier Alan Winde, who is leading the delegation.
The Western Cape and Busan Metropolitan Municipality 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 explore during the trip.
Park Su Won, the Busan Metropolitan Municipality’s director for future energy, emphasised the urgent need to decarbonise Busan’s economy, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Winde said that the Western Cape’s Energy Resilience Programme factored in the crucial role renewable energy and independent power producers would play in the province’s plan for energy resilience.
The delegation will be visiting the Port of Busan, the largest in South Korea.
“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,” Winde said.
