[INTERVIEW] New ambassador embodies Kiwi policy of respect for region

Diplomacy

Published: 18 Jun. 2023, 12:30 Updated: 18 Jun. 2023, 13:09

[INTERVIEW] New ambassador embodies Kiwi policy of respect for region

New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Dawn Bennet speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily recently at her residence in Seoul. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]

Driven by the legions of K-pop and K-drama fans, the Korean language has been growing in popularity worldwide, with diplomats no exception to this trend.

Dawn Bennet, the new Kiwi ambassador to Korea, first picked up the language when watching hit series like “Crash Landing on You” and “Mr. Sunshine.”

But the Korean content soon became more than just entertainment for the envoy, who would tune into K-pop channels or listen to the “Talk to me in Korean” podcast regularly during her commute or practice Korean on the Duolingo app.

By the time she began her posting in Seoul this spring, she hit the ground running with a speech in Korean she gave at Gyeonghui Palace, shared on the embassy’s social media platforms.

“Even though these dramas are fictional, they do give you some insights into what’s important in the Korean culture today, and I found this very useful,” said Bennet, adding she has recently begun catching up on “SKY Castle,” a series that lends a view on the extremes of academic pressure in Korea.

Her studious fascination with Korean media is also tied to one of the cultural norms and traditions of the indigenous people of New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, whose customary practices have also been proposed as a foreign policy vision of the country in recent years.

“One of the values of the Maori people is called manaakitanga, which means respect,” she said. “It’s about having respect for the people, listening to each other’s perspective and being open to hearing other views.”

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, who laid out the collective Maori vision of the Pacific country’s foreign policy, visited Korea recently to attend a summit meeting with leaders of the Pacific Islands, the first of its kind hosted by Korea.

To hear more from Bennet about how New Zealand is grappling with the changing geopolitics of the region, a task equally important for foreign policymakers in Korea, as well as her plans to raise Aotearoa’s profile in the hearts and minds of the Korean people, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with her at her residence in Seoul recently.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

As you begin your posting in Seoul, what are some of your objectives?

My long-term vision is to raise the profile of New Zealand across the board in every sector, in every respect. Korea is very popular in the world right now. Everybody wants to talk to Korea, everybody wants Korea’s investment, business, students [and] tourists. Korean soft power success has shown how important it is to have profile.

My objective here is to raise New Zealand's profile so that everybody in every sector across the board knows that New Zealand is there and might think of us as opportunities come up.

Was there an occasion, before you were posted to Seoul, that piqued your interest in Korean culture?

I’ve been a big fan of BTS, of course, from long before their English hits. I very much admire not just their talent as musicians, but also their mastery of social media and how they’ve used modern tools today to get into the world.

I would also try to make some Korean dishes at home after seeing them in the shows, like the sundubujjigae [soft tofu stew] from “Itaewon Class.” So I’ve been making them at home for a while, until recently I was finally able to try one in Korea. I mean, I think everybody knows Korea right now — it’s become a mega soft power in the world.

Korea and New Zealand celebrated 60 years of relations last year. How would you assess the friendship?

New Zealand’s relations with Korea encompass every aspect of foreign policy. Korea is one of New Zealand’s top five trading partners, and the two countries find themselves in one of the most interesting geopolitical areas in the world right now. On the defense front, New Zealand has for the past 70 years been participating in maintaining the armistice [in Korea]. In terms of people-to-people exchanges, we have 35,000 Korean people living in New Zealand, so there are a lot of cultural exchanges between the two countries. These are great foundations to work with for any diplomat.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea in Busan on May 30 to honor the New Zealanders who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. [EMBASSY OF NEW ZEALAND IN KOREA]

Leaders of Korea and New Zealand recently met at the Pacific Islands summit in Seoul. In what ways do you think the two countries can cooperate better in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing geopolitical rivalry?

The intensifying geostrategic competition within the Pacific is a reality all members of the region are having to face. Our priority for the Pacific is working alongside partners who share our values to ensure a secure, safe and stable region. We would be concerned with anything that militarizes the Pacific. We're also very keen to talk to the Pacific nations and to listen to what they need and want, and work with them for that.

New Zealand and Korea, at either end of the Indo-Pacific region, are very like-minded in many ways. We both base our foreign policy on openness, transparency and rules. We both have very strong relationships with the U.S., while we both also have very strong economic relationships and partnerships with China.

Much like Korea, we are struggling to figure out where we fit, how we manage all these relationships. We have an expression about the mouse being squashed by the elephants, and I think you have the same about the shrimp being squashed by the whales. These are very big and important superpowers and they have their differences. We just have to figure out how we manage our relationships with these two important partners.

The group of women ambassadors in Seoul, numbering some 25 this year, is one of the largest it has ever been. What has it been like for you to be a woman in the field of diplomacy?

Interestingly, when I was a little girl, my parents — I don't know if they did this deliberately or if it was just natural for them — but they never made me think there was anything that I couldn't do because I was a girl. So, I have always been very open about wanting to be a diplomat. And I was willing to give a lot to that career. But I had one thing in my life that was even more important, and that was my son. And I was a single mother. So, I was willing to commit to my career, but there would be some things I can’t do because my child comes first. And my ministry accepted that and worked around it, so that when I am working, I am putting 100 percent to it, and when I am with my son, I could be 100 percent with him. My plan from here is simply to be the best ambassador that I can be — not hiding, obviously, the fact that I'm also a woman.

Ambassador of New Zealand to Korea Dawn Bennet, left, with her son, Luca, at the inter-Korean border in May. [EMBASSY OF NEW ZEALAND IN KOREA]

Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s leadership was sensational for many women worldwide, as she was one of the few women prime ministers in the world to give birth while in office. Has she had an impact on how you also approach your job?

One of the things I liked best about what she's said was that she was not the first woman to have a baby while on a job, which I thought was very realistic. One of the immediate impacts that I noticed was that on the subconscious belief within organizations on how to be a leader — that one needed to be very masculine and strong. You could be a kind and gentle leader, but not in security, defense or foreign policy areas. But when she came into power, not only as a woman but as a woman who specifically modeled what it means for a prime minister to be kind and gentle, that also empowered me to be a leader, a feminine leader. I could be myself.

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