[Friends for decades] Colombia, Korea pursue creativity and innovation together

Diplomacy

Published: 09 Mar. 2022, 18:44 Updated: 21 Mar. 2022, 17:25

[Friends for decades] Colombia, Korea pursue creativity and innovation together

Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza speaks to the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Four Seasons Hotel in central Seoul on March 3. [PARK SANG-MOON]

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Colombian literature is, as they are stories told by millions of people of Spanish, African and Native American heritages, who have each lived through transformative eras that shaped the Latin American country today.

Instead of trying to describe the genre themselves, the Colombian Embassy in Seoul decided to bring the writers and their works to Korea.

“Seventeen writers will be coming in June to take part in the Seoul International Book Fair,” said Juan Carlos Caiza, ambassador of Colombia to Korea.

“Vitality, creativity and innovation are the imprints of Colombia; therefore, through the participation of our country in the Seoul Book Fair, as guest of honor, we aim to continue with the development and consolidation of its cultural industries and integration with international markets and other productive sectors, which is the base of the creative industries policy led by the Colombian government,” said Ambassador Caiza.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary in diplomatic ties between Colombia and Korea, the embassy organized an exchange of writers between the two countries.

From April 19 to May 2, Korea will be the honorary guest at the Bogota International Book Fair in Colombia's capital, introducing a number of Korean literary works and the newest book of former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, “Resolved,” the Spanish translation of which will be presented at the fair.

The anniversary comes at a critical time, not the least because both Korea and Colombia are facing a growing list of global crises to address, including the pandemic and climate change, according to the top envoy from Colombia.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has taught leaders around the world that they need to look further than one’s own region and continent and seek partners with the same vision,” said Ambassador Caiza. “Korea and Colombia, in this sense, have rediscovered each other as a vital partner — we see eye to eye on a number of public policies including on creative industries, entrepreneurship, fourth industrial revolution and green growth.”

To hear more about the friendship between the two countries, signed and sealed 60 years ago today, and what the future of their bilateral ties may hold, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Ambassador Caiza at the Four Seasons Hotel in central Seoul on March 3.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

Sixty years is a long time to know each other. How will Colombia and Korea celebrate this milestone this year?

The Colombian Embassy in Seoul has prepared a number of programs, each with the goal of bringing more of Colombia closer to Korea, so that the Korean people will consider Colombia as a destination for business, tourism, cultural and educational opportunities.

We will have some 40 top Colombian companies visit Korea in June with the objective to create a new relationship with Korea in the business sector. These companies come from Bogota, Cali and Pasto, and will represent the country’s best in the agricultural industry, fourth industrial revolution, creative industry and the infrastructure sector.

As a tourist destination, Colombia is the place to be for those looking for ecotourism. This will be evident for those who watch the movie “Bogota” starring actor Song Joong-ki, scheduled to be released this year. Colombia has seven different biodiversity regions, with the Andes strings crossing the country, the Amazon rainforest crossing the nation on the south and the great plateaus encompassing the middle-south and the east, all the while the two oceans of the Atlantic and Pacific bathe its coasts. Any single climate type and biome you could image is available in Colombia, from the rocky dessert of La Guajira to the Amazon Rainforest.

On the education front, in April, universities in Colombia will offer more than 30 scholarships to Korean students wishing to take up Spanish in Colombia and immerse themselves in the culture of the country.

We will also be running an essay competition, both in Spanish and Korean, for young Koreans and Colombians to write on the topic of the Colombian participation of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Colombia's participation in the Korean War took place before the official establishment of ties between the two countries. What prompted Colombia at the time to send 5,100 troops to a country it had no official ties with?

Colombia is a founding member of the United Nations, having ratified on Nov. 5, 1945, the Constitutive Charter of San Francisco. So the country responded to the UN call in June 1950 by the Security Council for assistance to the Republic of Korea in defending itself. When President Laureano Gomez made his inauguration statement on Aug. 7, 1950, he made a direct reference to the decision then adopted, reaffirming the moral integrity of Colombia’s purposes, in siding without hesitation with the defense sovereignty and independence of the peoples and freedom.

In 1951, Colombian war veterans arrived to Korea and they were the first Colombians to ever come to the Peninsula. More than 5,000 young soldiers came, and Colombia was the only Latin American country to participate in the Korean War.

One of the recent highlights in bilateral ties was the visit of President Iván Duque Márquez last year. What would you say were key agreements from the visit that speak for where the bilateral ties stand today?

During the state visit of President Iván Duque Márquez to Korea in August last year, 14 MOUs were signed between Colombia and Korea in areas such as public health for disease prevention and response, science and technology, culture and creative industries, agriculture, ICT, digital government, the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises [MSMES] and start-up ecosystem, sustainable development, veterans' affairs and missing personnel during the Korean War.

They herald a new chapter in the Colombia-Korea relations, which were once forged through partnership on wars. Today, the partnership is defined by our common visions. The historic visit put forward Colombia’s position as a gateway to Latin America for Korea and Korea’s position as an example for Colombia to follow, to become the Korea of Latin America.

Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez, left, and Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, exchange medals during their summit in Seoul on Aug. 25, 2021. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

What would it mean for Colombia to become the Korea of Latin America?

If you look into Colombia and Korea’s public policies, you’ll find them to be very similar. Colombia is a leader in Latin America in creative industry, being No. 1 in the movie sector, and has a focused policy on the creative industry, called the Orange Economy. The country is also a leader in entrepreneurship and the fourth industrial revolution, and has a strong policy on green growth. At the latest climate conference in Glasgow, Colombia announced its intention to be a carbon neutral nation by 2050. These are the same areas that the Korean government and public are focusing on, with strong outcomes on entrepreneurship and best practices in public administration such as smart cities.

Korea’s growth model was based on three pillars: a high level of education, digital innovation and free trade. This is the path that Colombia wishes to take in the future, and there are high hopes, given that we are two nations with common policies and values on democracy, freedom and free trade.

The FTA agreement between Colombia and Korea, enacted in 2016, was the first for Colombia with an Asian nation. Going forward, what areas in trade and investment is Colombia hoping to grow in its relations with Korea?

One of our goals is to increase Korean investment in Colombia. This is essential for Colombia given that Korea is the most connected country in the world, which by having more investment will undoubtedly mean for Colombia more technology transfer, innovation and support in training and improvement of human talent.

We are an economy that offers investors advantages. Colombia has not only the privileged geographical position of being at the center of the continent, which allows us to reach a market of more than 900 million potential consumers, but it also has nearly 3,500 maritime export routes, thanks to the fact that it has access to two oceans. Additionally, Colombia is the second country in Latin America with the highest number of Free Trade Zones.

I would like Korean companies to set their sails out towards Colombia, in the spirit of Christopher Columbus, but not with the objective of a conquest, but with an objective to share knowledge and technology, and to share human talents, with the common goal to create prosperity not only for the two nations but for the rest of the world.

Timeline of bilateral ties

1951 Colombian soldiers arrive
When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Colombia and Korea had not yet established official diplomatic ties. Colombia, however, sent 5,100 Colombian soldiers to fight in the war. According to the Colombian Embassy in Korea, 140 Colombians were killed in action, 71 went missing in action, 609 were wounded in action and 22 were captured but repatriated.

1962 Establishment of ties
Colombia and Korea established ties officially in 1962. The first Colombian ambassador to Korea, Henrique Molano Campuzano, presented his credentials to Korea in 1964. The Korean Embassy in Bogota opened in 1971 and the Colombian Embassy in Seoul in 1978.

1987 State visit of President Barco
President Virgilio Barco became the first Colombian president to visit Korea, in 1987. His visit was followed by President Ernesto Samper Pizano in 1996.

Colombian President Virgilio Barco,left, and Korean President Chun Doo Hwan, right, sign agreements during their summit in Seoul in September 1987. President Barco was the first Colombian president to visit Korea. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

2009 Koica in Bogota
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) opened its office in Bogota in 2009. Korea supported Colombia’s various efforts to support its agricultural communities, and ran several peace-building programs for some of its conflict-affected areas. More recently, it provided support to build medical facilities to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Korea announced its five-year official development assistance program on Colombia through 2025, which will focus on sustainable development goals including battling the effects of climate change.

An activity being held at the Koica's office in Bogota on Nov. 23, 2021. [KOICA COLOMBIA OFFICE]

2012 State visit of President Lee
President Lee Myung-bak became the first Korean president to visit Colombia, in 2012. During the visit, the Korean delegation signed historic agreements with Colombia including the FTA. The agreement was the first signed by Colombia with an Asian country, and the third signed by Korea with a Latin American country. This state visit was followed in 2015 by a visit from President Park Geun-hye. The FTA signed went into force in 2016.

Korean President Lee Myung-bak, left, and Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Carlos Pinzón Bueno, right, walk back together after presenting flowers at a monument dedicated to the Colombian veterans of the Korean War in Bogota on June 23, 2012. [YONHAP]

2021 State visit of President Duque
President Iván Duque Márquez visited with six ministers including the ministers of health, culture, agriculture, mines and energy. It was the first state visit from a Latin American country since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and came in time for the 70th anniversary of the start of Colombian participation in the Korean War and the 10th anniversary of the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership. The visit was followed by a visit by Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez later in the year.

President Duque, second from left, President Moon, second from right, the Colombian veterans of the Korean War, center, and the first ladies honor the veterans during a summit dinner at the Blue House on Aug. 25, 2021. Third from left is veteran Alvaro Lozano Charry, and fourth from left, veteran Guillermo Rodriguez Guzman. [NEWS1]

2022 60th anniversary of ties
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Colombia and Korea, Colombia is participating as a guest of honor in the Seoul International Book Fair, from June 1 to 5. A number of cultural activities, like a live performance of Colombian artists, dialogue with Colombian writers, and the screening of an award-winning Colombian movie, are planned during the week.
The Embassy of Colombia is also launching an essay contest with the aim of deepening the knowledge of young Koreans and Colombians about the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Details to the contest will be announced on March 10 at the War Memorial of Korea in an event to honor the veterans of the war and commemorate the 60th anniversary.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]