“Both Indians and Koreans consider education as a passport to success”

Interview with Indian Ambassador Vishnu Prakash

Ambassador Vishnu Prakash said as a career diplomat, South Korea was a post he was always waiting to be assigned, which he was granted in January 2012. The AsiaN interviewed Amb. Prakash in early February at the Indian Embassy in Seoul.

Prakash first visited Korea in 2010 for the G20 Summit with the Indian Prime Minister. He joined the government service about 32 years ago and has been posted in major countries including the United States, China, Japan and Russia. In his free time, Prakash enjoys reading and playing golf. He enjoys Korean food, especially bibimbap.

Why did you want to be posted in Seoul?

“I have always felt that East Asia is a very important region for India and Seoul was the place I wanted to come to most at this time. As I have worked in other main countries of East Asia, South Korea was definitely a missing factor. But, more than that, my interest in South Korea goes back much longer. In 1997 during the financial crisis, I was working in Japan, and I noticed that Korea was the first country to emerge. I was really surprised to hear about the Korean women standing in lines to give up their gold to help Korea out of its economic crisis. This was very shocking as an Indian. Indian women love gold. If you ask my wife to give up her gold, she would probably say she would rather give up her husband. Indian households are estimated to have about twenty thousand tons of gold. This is almost three times the United States’ gold reserves.

Please describe the work and responsibilities of the Indian Embassy.

The Indian embassy has two main roles: to promote relations between Korea and India in all spheres such as politics, economics, trade, travel, person-to-person, defense, security, etc. and to assist the Indian citizens living in Korea.

What are the major goals of the embassy for this year? What do you hope to accomplish during your term in Korea?

We are in our 40^th year of bilateral relations between India and Korea and it has been a lovely journey. As of January 2010, the Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) came into effect. The relationship between Korea and India has been strategically growing and looking ahead. In 2010, President Lee Myung-bak visited India, in 2011, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil visited Seoul and in 2012, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visited Korea. I had the honor to call on President-elect Park Geun-hye earlier this year and the Indian government has given her an official invitation. We hope she will visit India this year. We have been fortunate to be having annual summits. Our relationship gains momentum with each summit.

In economic terms, India is the third largest economy in Asia and Korea is the fourth. Korean companies are very active in India. Most of the middle class uses Korean products such as electronics or household goods. Korea holds about 52% of electronic shares. Korean goods have gone up to take 15% of India’s retail sales of $500 billion.

About 9,000 engineers and scientists are working in India Samsung’s Research and Development Center. $150-250 billion are being invested in infrastructure development each year in projects such as highways, power projects, metros, shipyards, etc. Korean companies are investing: Doosan in power and Hyundai in roads, metros and highways. India hopes for Korean companies to invest more in infrastructure projects.

There is hope for the economic democratization of SMEs (small and medium enterprises). They have the technology, capital and desire, but due to a gap in information, have difficulty entering the Indian market. Taking a look at the electronic sector, $400 billion are being spent a year. India is import reliant on IT products. I hope more of the production can move to India.

In the education sector, I hope for more exchange between universities. We would like to focus on these areas: trade, investment and education.

Personally, I would like to do my best in these three areas. It’s difficult to make concrete achievements as a relationship between two countries is like a relationship between two people; it is a process, building on layer after layer.

How many Indians are living in Korea and what are their occupations? What are the main difficulties for Indians living in Korea?

There are over 8,000 Indian residents in Korea. Most of them are highly educated and they include students, researchers, engineers, businessmen, and workers at big conglomerates or multi-national companies. Besides some occasional minor visa issues, they all seem very happy living in Korea without any major problems. To enhance their experience in Korea, there have been requests to build an Indian school.

What is your impression of the Korean people?

I feel that Korean people are very similar to Indian people in many ways. They are motivated, driven, warm and emotional. They feel comfortable to laugh and cry. They are also polite.

India and Korea both put strong emphasis on education. Could you share some similarities and differences between India and Korea concerning education?

Our two nations have a strong passion for education as we see it as a passport to success. I’m amazed at how Korea reached such a high rate of literacy even 30 years ago. 19% of the Korean budget and 7-8% of the GDP is spent on education. Right now, there are about 3,500 Koreans studying English, IT and management in India and there are about 1000 Indian scholars in Korea mostly researching in the pure sciences.

Last year, IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) was the top Google India search. Is this because working at a bank is a popular career? What are the most popular careers for youth in India these days?

The most popular job for youth in India would be the corporate sector. I have been working for the government for 32 years and when I was a university student, civil service was the most popular job. Other popular jobs include engineers and medicine related professions. Becoming a cricketer or movie star in Bollywood are also desired professions.

What role do you think India and Korea’s collaboration can play in the Asian region?

Korea and India have a very long relationship going back 2,000 years when an Indian princess from Ayodhya married King Suro, becoming Queen Heo Hwang-ok in 48AD. I would say India and Korea can see from similar eyes. They are both democracies, have big markets and they share a very good relationship. They have no conflict and have agreed for their relationship to be one of strategic convergence. These are factors for peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond.

Is there anything that Koreans can do to ease tensions between India and China or India and Pakistan?

India has multiple direct channels with both Pakistan and China through the government, civil society, think tanks, media, etc. India’s relationship with China is 99% good. We share a boundary and China is our largest trading partner. In terms of relations, direct contact is the best solution. When playing cricket, when India or Pakistan plays against another team, they come together and support one another respectively.

What are your thoughts on the tensions between Korea and Japan in the region?

The relationship between Korea and Japan can be described as an upward curve with speed bumps. India has the best of relations with Korea and Japan. The good relationship between Korea and Japan is of interest to all. There are ongoing territorial disputes. However, I can say as a practitioner, the best solution is to keep on talking.

Could you tell us a little about POSCO’s recent investing in India?

POSCO, the fourth largest steel producer in the world, is said to have trouble in the process of establishing their factory. The main issue is about the land acquisition. NGOs have been protesting against the acquiring of the land needed for the factory. During this process, the Prime Minister has conveyed to the Chairman that around 2,000 acres have been acquired. It may take some time, but I believe the Indian government is doing their best to solve the issue.

How is the Indian government dealing with the recent issues involving crime against women? 

In 1950, India became a republic as it established its constitution, which stated fundamental rights of equality including gender equality. Women have been very active in India. We have had a female prime minister and the largest political party in headed by a female politician, Ms. Sonia Gandhi. Women are doing much better than men in the universities.

When it comes to sexual assault, even in a country of 1.2 billion people, one incident is one too many. Every incident is shocking and painful. Within 30 days of the Delhi gang-rape incident, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court strengthened the laws to allow for the death penalty in the case of heinous crimes. Our society is determined to do everything possible to protect the dignity of women and make sure the New Delhi incident does not have a negative impact on this. Even though this incident makes me feel embarrassed, when I see the reaction of the media and the society’s determination for justice, I feel hopeful and confident that we can handle this challenge.