[Friends for decades] Kiwis and Koreans under spotlight for regional security and economy

Diplomacy

Published: 05 Jul. 2022, 18:00 Updated: 05 Jul. 2022, 19:14

[Friends for decades] Kiwis and Koreans under spotlight for regional security and economy

NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, center, poses for photographers next to Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, far left, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, second from left, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, second from right, and South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol, far right, on the first day of the NATO Summit at IFEMA Convention Center, in Madrid, Spain, on June 29. [EPA/YONHAP]

It’s no coincidence that the leaders of Korea and New Zealand keep bumping into each other at the high-profile defense and economic security meetings this year.

They were both in Madrid attending the NATO summit last week, both at the launching ceremony of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), albeit virtually, in Tokyo in May, and both were among the 15 nations who signed onto the world’s largest free trade agreement (FTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), that went into effect for most starting this year.

“It is very important that we were able to achieve the RCEP with Korea at a time when there’s risk of increasing protectionism around the world,” said Philip Turner, ambassador of New Zealand to Korea. “And especially as we recover from Covid-19, it is all the more important that we look to strengthen the rules-based system in the region, hence our warm welcome to the IPEF.”

President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, third from right, take part in a session of the NATO Summit at the IFEMA Convention Center in Madrid on June 30. [YONHAP]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, the Pacific country deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft and national defense force personnel to Britain and Europe to provide support on intelligence, liaison, transportation and logistics for Ukrainians, in addition to around 16.6 million New Zealand dollars ($10.2 million) in donations for Ukraine to purchase military equipment.

While some observers interpreted NATO’s invitation to New Zealand as a type of reward for the country’s recent participation in the regional defense and economic partnerships led by the United States and its allies, some Kiwi representatives have said otherwise.

Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, tweeted last month that New Zealand has had regular dialogues with NATO for the past 20 years, and that the Kiwi representation at the summit “can be consistent with maintaining independent foreign policy” of the country.

“We have always been a strong supporter and defender of collective security, which is showcased in our history of sending military assistance and aid,” said Turner.

As many as 6,000 Kiwi troops came to defend South Korea following the North Korean invasion in June 1950. In addition to protecting a nation that would grow into an economic powerhouse, the soldiers also left behind a lasting legacy in the form of friendships and songs.

“The 'Pokarekare Ana,' sung by New Zealand soldiers during the war in Korea, was embraced by many Koreans since then,” Turner said.

In the ‘80s, the song would almost always be sung by college students huddled around a campfire during their orientation early on in the school year.

As part of the ongoing engagement with the New Zealanders, Korea built Aotearoa, the newest and largest naval ship for New Zealand, in 2020, to replace its predecessor Endeavour, which was also built in Korea in the ‘80s. The name Aotearoa is what the Kiwis call their country in the Maori language.

As the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year amid a number of geopolitical tensions, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with the top Kiwi envoy in Seoul on June 8 to hear more about the milestones and where they may be pointing the partnership in going forward.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

Philip Turner, ambassador of New Zealand to Korea, speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the embassy in Seoul on June 8 in light of the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations this year. [PARK SANG-MOON]

How did Korea and New Zealand start it off in 1962?

It was just 12 years after the start of the Korean War, with both countries increasingly feeling independent. New Zealand was developing our own network of embassies and consulates, and there was a need for economic diversification, just like today. In the ‘60s the U.K. was considering joining the European Union, which was then the European Economic Community, and it was a cause for concern for New Zealand’s economy because it was so dependent on the U.K. It was against such backdrop that New Zealand started to look at Asia as our region and began to realize that much of our economic future was bound up with it.

Speaking of economic diversification, the Asia Pacific has seen growth in regional trade agreements recently with the launchings of the IPEF and RCEP, of which both New Zealand and Korea are members. How has New Zealand seen the growing list of regional trade agreements?

New Zealand has prospered, like Korea has, largely through trade. Having open, transparent and rules-based trade arrangements is critical to our prosperity and security as a country. We have always been strong defenders of the World Trade Organization [WTO] and the rules-based system for trade.

In recent years, that has meant that in addition to the WTO we have sought to build regional and bilateral arrangements. RCEP is a very important one of those, as the agreement pools together 15 economies, a third of the world population and a third of world GDP, which takes more than half of our exports from New Zealand.

New Zealand has also warmly welcomed IPEF as a strong signal of the U.S. commitment to the economic future of this region. We see the Indo-Pacific region as critically important to our economy, and we think the region as a whole will benefit from increased U.S. economic engagement.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity with other regional leaders via video link at the Izumi Garden Gallery in Tokyo on May 23. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea has yet to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a forerunner of the recent trade agreements of which New Zealand is part. What’s the latest on the CPTPP?

New Zealand was one of the four countries that developed the P4 agreement that became the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] and then the CPTPP. We continue to believe that market access to trade and tariff liberalization is very important and at the heart of people’s ability to do business across borders, and from that point of view we think CPTPP is a major achievement for the region. We continue to hope that the United States may one day join.

We are certainly keen to see Korea request accession. I understand the previous government expressed their intention to join, and we hope that the Yoon government will follow through.

Both New Zealand and Korea were invited to the NATO summit in Madrid as guest nations. Is that a signal that the two countries will play a larger role in the regional defense and security dynamics?

New Zealand and Korea, along with Japan and Australia, are partners of NATO as the Asia Pacific Four. NATO is particularly important at this juncture because of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. New Zealand has made a major contribution to help the Ukrainian people fight back against the illegal and unprovoked invasion by President [Vladimir] Putin. We’ve sent defense personnel, money, lethal weapons, humanitarian aid and legal aid.

We have always been a strong supporter and defender of collective security, which is showcased in our history of sending military assistance and aid, such as to South Africa’s Boer War in 1899, both World Wars and subsequently to Korea and Malaysia in the 1950s, Singapore through 1989, the Vietnam War and more recently to parts of the Middle East. Today, New Zealand maintains peacekeeping forces in about 12 nations, including in Korea.

What’s been the major driving force for this when New Zealand could have easily said the matter’s not in their backyard?

A lot of people ask, New Zealand is so far away from most parts of the world, why do you send your troops to be involved in conflicts in many parts of the world? The answer is that we understand and have always understood that we live in a connected world. Our prosperity depends on being able to trade, invest and have people move around freely. For over a hundred years, New Zealand has contributed troops, personnel and humanitarian assistance to many conflicts, where we thought our national interests and values were at stake and where we saw the need to defend the rules-based system.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, left, with Korea's President Park Geun-hye, right, preside over the signing of the bilateral free trade agreement in Seoul on March 23, 2015. [BLUE HOUSE]

This year marks the seventh year since the New Zealand-Korea FTA went into effect. What’s been the biggest change over those years?

Two-way trade has increased by a third since 2015. New Zealand exports increased 10 percent from 2021 to 2022, partly driven by the 60 percent increase in food and beverage exports to Korea. If we look at the value-added products, including food and beverages, we see steady progress on products like beef, lamb, dairy products like cheese, milk and butter, and advanced protein products, pet food, kiwi fruit and avocadoes. Last year, New Zealand wine was the fastest growing source of wine into Korea, with a 130 percent increase. We think part of that was driven by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic hit our services and tourism sector hard, however. Korea was a major source of tourists and students in New Zealand, sending about 7,500 students and 90,000 tourists annually. Since May 1, we have reopened the borders to allow quarantine-free, visa-free travel both ways, and we’re seeing a gradual return of tourists and students.

Korean electric vehicles, like the Hyundai Kona EVs, have been popular in New Zealand, especially for families. Where are the two countries working together on green energy and climate action?

There is a big interest in New Zealand for EVs from Korea: People are lining up for them, and we would like to see many more from Hyundai. The world is not producing enough EVs to meet the demand at the moment.

Other areas that we’re looking to work together in include product stewardship, which is about measuring a product’s environmental cost and building that into the product’s life cycle. Korea is quite advanced in this area. Two years ago, we created a list of products such as batteries, electronic machinery, tires, agrochemicals, refrigerants and so on, which would be designated as priority products for the government to put in place particular regulations to include their environmental costs into their life cycles. Korea is also interested in this, so we are sharing practices and knowledge.

New Zealand is also a potential supplier of green hydrogen to Korea. Over 80 percent of our electricity is generated from renewable sources: from hydro, geothermal, wind, or solar. We are aiming to produce 100 percent green hydrogen, store it, and export it to countries like Korea. We signed an MOU with Korea on cooperation on hydrogen and we hope to take it forward from there.

How will the 60th anniversary in ties be celebrated this year?

We held a commemoration of Anzac Day and the Battle of Kapyong in April, and had two big wine festivals in Seoul and Busan. If you’ve been following the embassy on Instagram, you would know that we’ve been introducing cafes in Korea that serve flat white coffee. On June 24 we [celebrated] Matariki, the Maori New Year, and will be hosting a classical music concert with Kiwi musicians on Aug. 18 at the Cosmos Hall in Seocho [in southern Seoul].

Diversity is another key part of our values, and on that front, the embassy is hosting a big reception on July 15, a day before the Seoul Queer Culture Festival. It will be celebrated with a music video of a new song by Hong Seok-cheon that my spouse Hiroshi Ikeda and I took part in.

Timeline of New Zealand-Korea ties

1950 Kiwi soldiers in Korean War
From the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War until 1957, New Zealand deployed to Korea 4,700 soldiers and 1,300 sailors on its six navy frigates. The first two frigates arrived on July 3, 1950. A total of 45 New Zealanders died during this period, 33 during the war. New Zealand military records state that as many as 800,000 artillery shells were fired by the New Zealand forces during the war. Even after the war ended with an armistice, New Zealand’s presence in the UN Command and UN Military Armistice Commission continues to this day.

Gunners from the 16th New Zealand Field Regiment pose for a photograph in front of Kiwi Hill at the regiment's headquarters in Korea in 1953. The photo has been provided by Sue Corkill, author of ″Korea: A Kiwi Gunner's Story,″ published by Fern Publishing in 2014. [SUE CORKILL]

1962 Establishment of ties
The two nations established ties in March 1962, which was followed by the opening of the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul in June 1971, and Korea’s in Wellington in July 1971.

1999 Kim Dae-jung in Auckland
President Kim Dae-jung became the first Korean president to visit New Zealand in September 1999 when he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Auckland. As part of his official visit program, Kim visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum and paid tribute to the Kiwi soldiers who fought in the war. Three years before his visit, New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger had visited Seoul, and his successor Jenny Shipley in July 1999.

President Kim Dae-jung, center, and Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, right, are greeted with a traditional Maori performance upon Kim's arrival in New Zealand in September 1999. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

2015 FTA goes into effect
New Zealand and Korea signed their bilateral free trade agreement in Seoul in March 2015, which would reduce tariffs on more than 96 percent of all products traded within the next 20 years. The agreement was signed in the presence of President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister John Key, who was the same head of the Kiwi government that started the FTA negotiations with Korea years earlier. Korea’s president at the time, Lee Myung-bak, visited New Zealand and met with Key in 2009, and the two issued a joint statement to launch the negotiations.

2018 Moon Jae-in in New Zealand
President Moon visited New Zealand in December 2018, following the footsteps of his predecessors including Park Geun-hye, Lee Mung-bak and Roh Moo-hyun who all visited the Pacific country at least once during their tenure. In his meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Moon highlighted common bilateral values on free trade and sustainable growth, and growing people-to-people exchanges especially among young students.

President Moon Jae-in, right, with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left, in their meeting in New Zealand on Dec. 4, 2018. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

2019 Christening of the Aotearoa
New Zealand’s newest navy ship Aotearoa was completed at the Hyundai Shipyard in 2020, where its predecessor Endeavour was also built in the 1980s. New Zealand’s Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Rear Admiral David Colin Proctor attended the christening ceremony for Aotearoa in October 2019.

The christening ceremony for New Zealand's naval ship Aotearoa in Ulsan on Oct. 25, 2019. [NEWS1]

2022 Anniversary of 60 years
In celebrating the 60 years of ties this year, the embassy hosted the 71st anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Kapyong on April 22, honoring the Kiwi soldiers who fought in the Korean War. Anzac Day was also celebrated on April 25. New Zealand Wine Festivals were held in Seoul and Busan across June and a special promotion week for flat white was held from June 6 to 19 in Seoul. The embassy is also hosting pride events to celebrate diversity on July 15 and 16, and a classical music concert with New Zealand musicians in Cosmos Hall in southern Seoul on Aug. 18.