Vice FM discusses critical minerals cooperation with senior African officials

▲ Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun (L) poses with South Africa's Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Phumzile Mgcina ahead of their talks in Cape Town, South Africa, on Feb. 5, 2025, in this photo provided by the South Korean foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

vice FM-Africa talks

Vice FM discusses critical minerals cooperation with senior African officials

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun has discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the critical minerals sector in talks with senior government officials of Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

The talks took place Wednesday (local time) on the margins of a key mining event in the South African city of Cape Town, where Kang was visiting to attend the inaugural partnership dialogue between South Korea and African nations on ways to boost critical minerals cooperation.

Kang met separately with Steven Kiruswa, Tanzania's deputy minister for mining; Phumzile Mgcina, South Africa's deputy minister for mineral and petroleum resources; and Winston Chitando, Zimbabwe's minister for mining development, the Seoul ministry said in a release.

In the talks with the three officials, Kang proposed making continued mutual efforts to expand the partnerships based on the agreement reached at the first-ever South Korea-Africa summit in Seoul last year, the ministry said.

Kang asked for Tanzania's support in advancing a graphite mining project under way as part of the Minerals Security Partnership, a multilateral forum focused on critical mineral supply chains. South Korea and 13 other countries, including the United States, Britain and Japan, are participating in the initiative.

With South Africa, Kang expressed hope to strengthen economic cooperation in various areas, including critical minerals, noting the country has been South Korea's largest trading partner in the region.

Kang discussed with the Zimbabwean minister opportunities for cooperation with the resource-rich country, according to the Seoul ministry.

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