South Korean president vows to expand mineral ties with Africa and send more development aid

abcnews.go.com:

South Korea's president says his country will expand development aid to Africa and pursue deeper cooperation with the region of 1.3 billion people on critical minerals and technology

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea will expand development aid to Africa and pursue deeper cooperation with the region of 1.3 billion people on critical minerals and technology, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday as he hosted dozens of African leaders in the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit.

In a speech, Yoon urged African countries to take firmer steps in an international pressure campaign against North Korea. The North recently accelerated its tests of nuclear-capable weapons systems and flew hundreds of balloons to drop tons of trash and manure on South Korea as relations between the war-divided Koreas worsen.

Africa's 54 states are an important bloc at the United Nations and hold three rotating seats on the Security Council. Representatives from 48 African nations, including 25 heads of state, are attending South Korea's two-day summit, where talks are expected to focus on trade and investment.

Trade with African nations currently accounts for less than 2% of South Korea’s total imports and exports.

Following Tuesday's meeting, South Korea and the African nations announced that they will start high-level talks aimed at improving cooperation over minerals. The African continent is a major source of nickel, cobalt, graphite and lithium, which are crucial for technology industries such as semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles, which are major export items for South Korea.

South Korean officials say expanding ties in minerals and other natural resources would help improve the country’s supply chain resilience in key technology