Ties between the two countries date back to the Korean war of 1950-53, when South Africa's No. 2 Squadron, the so-called "the Flying Cheetahs" of the South African Air Force, participated as a member of the UN Allied Force. This act of solidarity and concrete expression of support has largely remained an unforgettable act in the minds of the Koreans, thus making South Africa a natural ally of the Korean people.

Formal diplomatic relations between South Africa and South Korea were only established on 1 December 1992. The cornerstone of relations has, however, always been interaction in multilateral fora including good trade relations, which have gone from strength to strength since 1990.

This section also contains information on development of structured relations between the two countries including high-level visits and bilateral agreements .