Celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Sri Lanka, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Sri Lanka, Santhush Woonjin Jeong sat down with the Sunday Observer recently to share his views on pursuing relationships between two countries and his thoughts on opportunities and challenges for Sri Lanka to overcome and become more global.
“As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries, last year was special for Korea and Sri Lanka. Since 1977, the relationship between Korea and Sri Lanka has been robust, multifaceted and we are truly good friends to each other. Korea has considered Sri Lanka as a principal development cooperation partner and I believe that our relations have more potential to grow in the next 45 years,” Ambassador Jeong said.
The Ambassador also outlined plans to strengthen ties between two countries while supporting development and foreign employment opportunities in Korea and a number of other important topics in his interview.
Excerpts
Q: How would you plan ways and means to promote your country’s values and strengthen ties between Sri Lanka?
A: In nearly half a century, our bilateral ties have developed multi-dimensionally. As Korean Ambassador, I have aimed to promote our ties on economic, development, labour, culture and education cooperation. Sri Lanka’s natural resources and labour force are complementary with Korea’s high-technology and capital. Considering the strategic location, cooperation with Sri Lanka is essential for Korea. About 25,000 Sri Lankan employees are working in Korea, contributing to the two countries’ economic development. They are playing an important role in bridging our two countries.
Also, Korean residents in Sri Lanka are a great asset to our diplomacy. As the Sri Lankan economy experienced challenges this year, Sri Lankan students encountered a shortage of examination papers.
Korean nationals in Sri Lanka voluntarily raised funds and handed over examination papers to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education.
Q: How will Korea help Sri Lanka in the process of development?
A: I am happy to introduce the major achievements by KOICA, EXIM bank Korea in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka. KOICA has conducted numerous projects with pivotal strategic goals such as education, transportation, water resources and agriculture, strengthening development efforts of Sri Lanka. I believe Korea is a reliable and trustworthy partner that will assist Sri Lanka with its current national development requirements. With these as momentum, the bilateral ties are expected to deepen further in the coming years.
Sri Lanka is so precious to Korea and it is one of the top five nations to benefit from its Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). The investment in various ODA projects and grants benefitting Sri Lanka since 1987 exceeds US$ 900 million of concessional loans through the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
For instance, the Framework Arrangement enabling the Sri Lankan Government to obtain soft loans up to $500 million (USD) from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the Korean Government was set up for 2020 - 2022.
The New Village Movement known as the Saemaul Foundation in Sri Lanka and KOPIA has achieved success in developing rural livelihood through meaningful initiatives implemented in Sri Lanka.
I should also mention the invaluable service of KOTRA in Colombo, a specialised agency for commercial ties that is working very hard to consolidate our bilateral economic cooperation. KOTRA is keen to intensify our bilateral trade and investment, thus seeking more avenues to facilitate Korean investors to do business in Sri Lanka.
Q: Korea started providing employment opportunities to Sri Lankans in Korea under Employment Permit Scheme since 2004 and Sri Lankans working in Korea help uplift the economy of the both nations. Do you see any possibility of expanding the labour cooperation?
A: The engagement in labour cooperation has also been impressive in recent years. The proactive engagement of the EPS centre has led to the smooth facilitation of Sri Lankan migrant employees to depart for Korea and it has strengthened the labour cooperation of our two countries. Around 25,000 Sri Lankan employees are presently in Korea.
Around 520 million US dollars were transmitted by them from Korea to Sri Lanka in 2019. They greatly contribute to the economic advancement of both countries. Sri Lankan employees in Korea are a great asset to strengthen economic and commercial ties of both countries. Considering their contribution, this year, the Korean government expanded the quota for foreign employment from Sri Lanka significantly, almost by double. I hope the labour cooperation between the two countries continue to prosper.
Q: How have political developments between Korea and Sri Lanka contributed to strengthening bilateral relations?
 Korea residents’ donation of papers to Sri Lankan students |
A: I believe that strengthening people-to-people ties is one of the most important aspects of bilateral relations. To mark the landmark celebration of 45 years of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, two high-ranking officials visited Sri Lanka, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Minister for Government Policy Coordination of Korea following Sri Lankan Foreign Minister’s visit to Korea.
At the invitation of the Sri Lankan Speaker, the Korean Speaker was the first Speaker of a foreign country who visited Sri Lanka since the inauguration of the 9th Parliament in 2020. This visit, together with the contribution by the Parliamentary Friendship Associations between Korea and Sri Lanka was a clarion call to consolidate the bilateral parliamentary ties between the two countries. There have been bilateral meetings between the Foreign Ministers of Korea and Sri Lanka at the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia. Recently, the Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Sri Lanka seeking support for Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. Korea is the optimum host for the World Expo 2030 and the Korean Government is committed to share the Korean culture with the entire world including Sri Lankans.
These high-level exchanges continue to exemplify the special relationship between our two countries and herald the dawn of a new era of strengthened relations between Korea and Sri Lanka. I will make more efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges in the new chapter of 45 years.
Q: What are the latest cultural programs organised by the Korean Embassy?
A: Recently, the Korean culture known as the “K-wave” has become very popular worldwide and in Sri Lanka. K-pop idols such as BTS, Black Pink and Twice have received overwhelming affection from youth in all corners of the world. Korean dramas, movies and cuisine have also attracted a global audience.
K-dramas such as “Daejanggum” known as “Sujatha Diyani” and “the Squid Game” along with the award-winning K-film “Parasite” signalled an era of a cultural renaissance. The unprecedented degree of interest Sri Lankans continue to show in embracing Korean culture, cinema, dramas and cuisine has prompted the Korean Embassy to organise many events to promote cultural events and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Sri Lanka, the Korean Embassy organised a series of special cultural events like the Korean Lantern Festival, Quiz on Korea, K-pop World festival and Korean Ambassador’s Taekwondo Championship, the Korean Film Festival, Virtual Tour to Korea and K-fiesta that concluded recently. The love and support shown by Sri Lankans for these events is a source of great motivation and encouragement for the Korean Embassy.
Q: What are the latest developments on educational cooperation between Korea and Sri Lanka?
A: The Korean language is getting popular among Sri Lankan youth with the increased popularity of K-Pop and K-Drama. Reflecting on this trend, the Korean Embassy commends the steps taken by the Sri Lankan Government to adopt the Korean language for advanced level classes from 2021 and introduce Korean as a subject among foreign languages for the university entrance examination from 2023. The initiatives taken by the Sri Lankan Government together with the Korean Embassy to encourage more people in Sri Lanka to learn the Korean language will enhance the employability of Sri Lankans in Korea and build bridges for communication.
The “End Violence” global campaign to eradicate violence against children, which the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Korea jointly promotes with the Headquarters of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is also impactful in Sri Lanka. The Korean Embassy and Rupavahini, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation co-hosted a children’s art contest which created more awareness for this campaign among the Sri Lankan public.
Q: In your diplomatic career which countries would you most like to work in and why?
A: Sri Lanka. I have visited and worked in many countries, however, Sri Lanka is the first country I have served as an Ambassador. I am not only the Korean Ambassador but also the Ambassador to Sri Lanka. I work for the betterment of Korea and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is special to me for many reasons. Sri Lankan people always have smiles on their faces.
The smile shows pride in overcoming numerous difficulties throughout the past and displaying courage and resilience in the face of adversity. Like Korea, Sri Lanka tries to overcome problems and make its people happier. Challenge is another chance. Like “Miracle on the Han River,” I dream of “Miracle on the Kelani River.” Korea was once an aid-recipient but became an aid-donor country now. Korea will stand by Sri Lanka to help the island nation’s rebound.
My name ‘Woonjin’ in the Korean language means happiness. Before I arrived in Sri Lanka, several Sri Lankan friends recommended Sri Lankan names synonymous with ‘Happiness.’ Among those, the name ‘Santhush’ appealed to me the most. I decided that ‘Santhush’ is the most suitable name I can call myself as Sri Lanka brings me great happiness. As I always say, I came here to Sri Lanka to carry happiness (Santhush) to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan people because I love Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan people.
Q: What is the most challenging part that you consider in your diplomatic career in Sri Lanka?
A: I arrived in Sri Lanka during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 that ravaged the entire world including in Korea and Sri Lanka. Due to the period of lockdown, I was not able to travel extensively in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is ranked as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations and I did not have the opportunity to visit these lovely locations. Now that the situation has become better, I am looking forward to visiting beautiful places of Sri Lanka and interacting with Sri Lankan people from all corners of the island.
