Relationship dossier
South Korea
Zambia
Relationship assessment
A modest partnership centered on South Korean development assistance and bilateral engagement
South Korea toward Zambia
+30South Korea has provided development assistance in Zambia, including KOICA-supported work to improve agricultural productivity. This government-backed cooperation supports a positive but limited bilateral relationship.
Zambia toward South Korea
+20Zambia has engaged with South Korea through high-level bilateral participation in the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit. The extent of specific Zambian government initiatives directed toward South Korea is unclear.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship is characterized chiefly by South Korean development assistance in Zambia and periodic high-level engagement, rather than evidence of a broad or exceptionally close partnership. Available detail about the scope and durability of bilateral programs is limited.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
South Korea and Zambia have maintained a modest development and economic cooperation relationship. South Korean government assistance, including KOICA-supported agricultural development work, has contributed to cooperation in Zambia. Zambia has also engaged with South Korea through the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, which included high-level bilateral engagement. The scale and continuity of specific bilateral programs are not clear.
Key developments
KOICA-supported agricultural productivity work contributed to South Korean development cooperation in Zambia.
Zambia participated in the Korea-Africa Summit in South Korea, which included high-level bilateral engagement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of South Korean development programs in Zambia are unclear.
- Details of Zambia’s bilateral commitments and follow-up from the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit are limited.