Working together for peace and prosperity

PESHAWAR, Aug. 14, 2016 (Xinhua) — Pakistani children wave national flags during a ceremony to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day in northwest Pakistan’s Peshawar on Aug. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)(yk)

Song Jong-hwan (Former Korean Ambassador to Pakistan from 2013-2016)

The Korea Times

I would like to congratulate Pakistan and Korea on the dual celebrations of their independence days on August 14 and 15 respectively. My sincere prayer is that both our countries may prosper in peace.

From June 2013 till May 2016, I had the honor and pleasure of serving as the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan. It was a proud moment for me to hear one federal minister saying that my efforts made our Pakistani friends realize how one person can change many things in a short time.

During my tenure I was fortunate to play a major role in many great milestones which strengthened the relationship between our countries.

The Korean Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly visited Pakistan in 2014 for the first time in history. On September 27, 2015, the Korean President, Her Excellency Park Geun-hye and His Excellency the Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, had a summit on the sidelines of the 70th UNGA Session in New York. The two leaders discussed avenues of enhancing bilateral and multilateral ties. The 2015-2017 EDCF framework arrangement amounting to five hundred million dollars was signed on October 2, 2015, in Islamabad by EAD Secretary and myself, on behalf of our respective governments.I strongly supported the process of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and Pakistan. It is hoped that the FTA may be signed in just a few months. This year, for the first time, a famous Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum, has started airing on PTV Home with the localized name “Nageen”

This is the highest level of relations between our two friendly countries.

Pakistan and Korea share many similarities. Both became independent shortly after World War II after a long period of colonial rule. Korea became independent on August 15, 1945, while Pakistan celebrates August 14, 1947, as its independence day. Both faced a violent division of the people. Both had to spend large sums on defense since both countries were frontline states during the Cold War. Politically, Pakistan and Korea both witnessed cycles of democracy and military rule. The similarities between the countries extend to the citizens and cultures. We both highly respect our elders and teachers. Our languages have the same sentence structure and many common words.

I recognized the great potential in Pakistan, which is blessed with a strategic geographic location, high mountains like the Himalayas and the Arabian Sea. Pakistan has fertile land and a large population of around 185 million people. It is blessed with natural rivers and a good irrigation system. And most importantly, Pakistan has a strong labor force which is educated, speaks English and is computer literate. Therefore, I strongly believe that Pakistan can also progress quickly and achieve an economic miracle, the Miracle on the River Indus, just like Korea’s Miracle on the River Han.

In the 1960s there was a large income difference between the rural and urban people in Korea. Korea solved this issue with the ‘Saemaul Undong’ which was a village-based economic development program to help people escape from poverty. So far, the movement has been replicated in 20 countries and it is my hope that Pakistan will be the 21st country to adopt it. In addition to aid, trade and investment, Korea can help Pakistan by sharing the Saemaul Undong model with Pakistan.

In the past, Pakistan helped Korea during the Korean War by providing humanitarian supplies. In the future Pakistan can help Korea, especially in international relations. Recently, I requested that my Pakistan friends take a more active stance to condemn North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests.

It is my hope to visit Pakistan again and to see for myself that it has indeed achieved the Miracle of the Indus River. It is for this reason that I continue to support Pakistan in my private capacity even after my retirement.

As one of my best Pakistani friends wrote in an article published in Pakistan Observer on May 23, 2016, the date I was leaving Pakistan, I will be away but I will never be gone from Pakistan.

God Bless Pakistan and God Bless Korea.

Pakistan-Korea DostiZindabad!