Ever deepening ties grounded in trust and cooperation

Korea celebrates on October 3rd the founding day of the ancient Korea, Joseon, established on the Korean Peninsula by the legendary King Dangun in the year 2,333BC. Having faced many challenges in our deep history we have come to develop in the national psyche a conviction that if we work together we can overcome any time of crisis. We have always strived to move ever further forward.Emerging from the ruins of the Korean War to stand strong Korea built itself into the world’s 10th largest economic power.Through this process of transformation it emerged as the first country ever to evolve from an aid recipient into an aid donor in the short time of a matter of decades.

The task of moving beyond confrontation to realise a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula defined by peace is not an easy one.But it is a path we will travel.We will never give up. We will continue to pursue dialogue in striving for the achievement of denuclearisation and the firm taking root of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. This is our cherished goal and we will never relent in pursuing it.

Jordan is one of our most longstanding friends in this region.Since the establishment of relations between Korea and Jordan in 1962 the two countries have indeed continued to foster ties of partnership and cooperation spanning a whole range of fields.

We pay tribute to the heartfelt endeavours by His Majesty King Abdullah II to facilitate the peace process in the region, and pay homage to his strong leadership in combating terrorism and violent extremism in the world. Furthermore, we greatly value Jordan’s continued vital role played in dealing with the issue of Syrian refugees. The Korean government will continue to be firmly committed tosupporting them.

From the very outbreak of COVID-19, the Kingdom took effective measures to counter the pandemic. His Majesty King Abdullah II has shown admirable courage and determination in striving to transform the current epidemic crisis into an opportunity for promoting national self-reliance and enhancing the well-being of all peoples through “reglobalisation”.

Korea was one of the first countries to be impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. As President Moon Jae-in stated in his address atthe recent UN General Assembly, Korean people chose the path leading to “freedom for all”. The Korean government has kept its people fully informed every step of the way, and the people in turn have responded to this by placing their trust in the government, voluntarily wearing face masks, and actively practicing social distancing, believing that any one person can only be safe if those around them are safe. Against this background, the general election was safely held last April. Our economy has been safeguarded even without a lockdown or closing of borders.

The Korean government has provided supplies, including diagnostic kits and masks, to countries in need of a helping hand and we were delighted to assist Jordan in this way.In early April, even though we were facing the mostdire situation at that time, we provided Jordan with humanitarian aid of $200,000 in cash. It holds great meaning that Jordan was one of the first countries we helped.

There have been remarkable achievements in the development cooperation over the last three decades. Since 1991, the Korean government has provided Jordan with around $130 million in grant aid and around $251 million in soft loans. Various projects which well reflect Jordan’s needs have been implemented in the areas of education, health, management of water resources, and e-government. To give two success stories, the Korea-funded JOKOTI (Jordan Korea Technology Institute) in Zarqa has produced around 150 highly skilled technicians every year. Since 2015, JOKOTI, with its high graduate employment rate, has ranked second among TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institutes in Jordan.Korea also supported Jordan in establishing the JONEPS (Jordan On-line E-Procurement System), a web-based e-procurement system. In 2019, Jordan decided to designate JONEPS as a sole public procurement platform with a view to reducing the administrative burden and enhancing transparency throughout the entire procurement process.

Economic cooperation has continued to evolve, maturing intoa mutually beneficial partnership. In fact, three power generating plants built by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) now account for almost 20 per cent  of the total power production capacity in Jordan. Indeed, the one in Al Manakher boasts the largest capacity (573MW) among diesel power plantsin the world. KEPCO made a strategic decision to advance into Jordan when it sufferedas a result of the global financial crisis in 2008. They have now become a very symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries.

With its unique nature and fascinating historical sites Jordan has in recent years proved to be a much loved tourist destination for Koreans. Last year, the first chartered direct commercial flight between Amman and Seoul was operated enabling Korean tourists to more easily travel to wonderful places such as Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea. Last July, more than 100 film crew members for the Korean movie "The Negotiation" visited Jordan and successfully completed around two months of location filming around Jordan. 

It is gratifying and very welcometo see many young Jordanians sing along to and dance to various forms of K-pop, as found on K-Pop Lovers and Mshaeer K-Pop. Two Korean TV dramas, “Signal” and “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds” were broadcast on Roya TV from last May to August. These have generated real interest amongst many Jordanian viewers, sowing seeds of curiosity in things Korean, whether historical or culinary and even our tradition dress.Moreover, it is inspiring that a Korean language institute will be opened soonwithin the University of Jordan. I trust that this will provide excellent opportunities for Jordanians to learn the Korean language and indeed to come to understand our history and culture more broadly.

Since the forging of the diplomatic ties in 1962 the relations between our two countries have continued to evolve, gaining greater substance. They have emerged stronger, broader and deeper. And there is still so much more we can do.There is a saying that “it takes two to tango”. The literal meaning of “tango” is “touch”. In these times of social distancing we have to find different ways to be close. And now may be a great time to explore new avenues. Even without meeting in person we can find novel, better ways to foster the trust, to nurture the cooperation. The COVID era, the post COVID era have brought, will bring great change in many aspects of life. But the sense of trust between us will not only hold firm, unchanged, it will be an even deeper trust. Indeed, facing a common challenge serves to create a sense of affinity and solidarity. With the sense of trust between us as a firm foundation we should explore ways to further boost our ties. I look forward to the bonds of cooperation thriving still more. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis the call for this is more pressing than ever.

The writer is South Korean ambassador to Jordan. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.