Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor

ZIMBABWE and South Korea are exploring ways of expanding bilateral relations in all sectors of the economy with an emphasis on new technologies to enhance productivity.

This was topical when a special envoy from the Asian country, His Excellency Dr Chey Tae-won paid a courtesy call on President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare this Friday.

Briefing journalists after the closed-door meeting, Dr Tae-won said they discussed short and long-term partnerships in various economic sub-sectors.

“We had good discussions and had some proposals on how to develop the Zimbabwean economy and society. We discussed long-term plans and short solutions too,” he said.

“His Excellency has appreciated the
relationship between Zimbabwe and the Korean side. He is also looking forward to a long-term relationship. We will also have a lot of cooperation in the future,” said Dr Tae-won.

Bilateral relations between the two countries are set to cover several sectors, with emphasis on new technology investments targeting state enterprises.

“There are so many areas we discussed that are energy, ICT, tourism, education, agriculture, and mining. The first thing to do is join study groups in each area. So, we may need some more information and agreement on the new technologies together with government agencies like ZESA. We just study on that and then target how we can immediately impact to the country,” he added.

Zimbabwe and South Korea have in the past collaborated in agriculture technology and knowledge transfer.