[INTERVIEW] Outgoing Colombian envoy recalls the highs and the challenges

Juan Carlos Caiza, ambassador of Colombia to Korea, speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at his diplomatic residence in Seoul on Oct. 5. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Helping relations between two countries grow is the best part of a diplomat's life, said Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza upon conclusion of his time in Seoul.

“I had the opportunity to see relations between Colombia and Korea turn a new chapter, to go from an alliance forged in the Colombian participation in the Korean War to cooperation on inclusive innovation, sustainable development and digitalization,” said Caiza, speaking at his residence in Seoul on Oct. 5.

During Caiza’s three years in Seoul, which came to an end on Sunday, he welcomed a variety of representatives from Colombia, ranging from writers and painters to a Korean War veteran and president.

“As an ambassador, it is my job to create trust between various parties of two nations, and find new ways, new platforms to do that,” he said.

In June 2020, a Colombian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War, Gilberto Diaz Velasco, presented dozens of photographs he took on a $5 Kodak camera during the war. Colombia sent some 5,100 troops to Korea at the outbreak of the war. Diaz died two months later.

In May 2021, Carlos Jacanamijoy, one of Colombia's most famous abstract artists, brought his gigantic paintings inspired by his indigenous identity and experiences to Seoul.

Three months later, former President Iván Duque Márquez came, marking the first presidential visit from Colombia to Seoul in 10 years, with a delegation including the ministers of health, commerce, environment, agriculture, mines and energy and culture.

The size of the delegation spoke for the areas of cooperation possible between the two countries, said Caiza.

“Korea is a leader in Asia in terms of digital innovation, science and technology and in the creative industries,” he said.

“Colombia is a country with the second-most diverse biodiversity in the world, with access to seven different regions such as the Andean region, the Amazonian, the Caribbean, Pacific and the Orinoco. Korean entrepreneurs and companies should take advantage of the tax incentives and financing incentives in place in Colombia, and we can create great synergy for a more sustainable, circular and innovative world.”

Caiza admitted that while the pandemic was not easy to deal with as a diplomat, being based in Seoul had its advantages, especially seeing how Korea coped with it.

“I observed some of the speediest changes take place during my stay in Korea,” said Caiza. “I remember that the former president of Korea in February 2021 organized some laboratories [on Covid-19] and 15 days later, Korea had the ability to test people [for infection]. The capacity and drive to create and produce -- which is the whole goal of the evolution of human talent -- I saw that here.”

Seoul and Bogota have exchanged ideas on combating the pandemic in recent years. Last year, the Korea International Cooperation Agency helped Hospital Engativa in Bogota set up a post-Covid treatment protocol. In 2020, Seoul shared information on how to set up walk-through and drive-through testing centers in Colombia.

As Colombia and Korea celebrate their 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, the two countries have milestones that speak well for where the two may be headed, said Caiza.

“There is a symmetry in our ecosystems across many sectors,” he said. “The market tensions between the U.S. and China, the war in Ukraine and climate change effects are all pointing in the same direction: that Colombia and Korea should actively cooperate and invest in each other.”

Caiza, who before his posting in Seoul was an advisor to the president with years of experiences in consulting on development, financing and energy projects, said his next task would be establishing a foundation in New York to build public-private partnerships between Asia and Latin America.

“The more I worked in Seoul, the more I could see that Asia needs to connect more with Latin America,” said Caiza. “The foundation will work on finding and sharing the best practices in entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships between Asia and Latin America.”

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