Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter l

 

"I hope there will be high-level visits from both countries this year" to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Pakistan!

We would welcome government functionaries as well as Korean investors to come, invest, explore, and reap profit in the fields of power, energy, tourism, science and technology, trade, and infrastructure," said H.E. Nabeel Munir, Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of South Korea.

Pakistan and South Korea mark 40 years of establishment of diplomatic bilateral relations between the two countries in 2023.

‘Newsnomics’ had an exclusive interview with the H.E. Nabeel Munir, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of South Korea on 16 February 2023.

H.E. Nabeel Munir, said, “There are numerous opportunities for further improvement of bilateral ties between the two countries, that include trade and investment, tourism, defense, culture, people-to-people contacts and high-level exchanges. We are hoping the celebration of 40 years of diplomatic ties will be an opportunity to further strengthen our relationship.”

“I have three priority areas 1) High Level exchanges, 2) Trade and Investment, and 3) People-to-People contacts,” said the Ambassador.

 

1)    High Level Exchanges:

 

“We are hoping to restart high-level contacts between the two countries this year," H.E Nabeel said.

"I hope the presidents of the two countries visit each other this year. May be the Foreign Ministers, the Prime Ministers, other government representatives, politicians of both sides etc. can visit. That will really provide impetus for further improving the relationship between South Korea and Pakistan,” said H.E. Nabeel. 

2) Trade and Investment:

The second priority area mentioned by the Ambassador was existing opportunities in Pakistan, in economy, trade, investment, political, defense and a number of other areas where potential is yet to be fully realized. This can take both countries' relationships to the next level. 

H.E. Nabeel further said, “South Korea is an economic powerhouse and among the top 10 economies of the world. It boasts a miraculous history. The way the Korean economy has developed over the past seven decades, graduating from being a recipient to a donor of development assistance, is something from which developing countries like Pakistan can learn a lot."

3) People-to-People Contacts:

The third priority area is people-to-people contacts. It is fundamental to improving bilateral relationship. When people of the countries visit each other, they can better understand each other’s ethos and way of working.

“Therefore, I hope people-to-people contact between South Korea and Pakistan can enhance our economic

relations,” said the Ambassador.

While sharing his thoughts about South Korea, Ambassador Munir said, "South Korea, like Pakistan, is a society based on Eastern values. Giving importance to relationships and hospitality, prioritizing family etc. are the kind of values that can help us understand each other better”.

 

 

□ Ongoing Collaborations:

 

“Many Korean companies are contributing to Pakistan's Socio-economic development in the areas of power and energy, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, confectionery eatables, electronics, and infrastructure etc,” informed the Ambassador.

 

Prominent Korean corporations including Samsung, KIA, Hyundai, Lotte Confectionary, Lotte Chemicals, KOEN, K Power, POSCO etc. are contributing to the socio-economic development of Pakistan and also reaping plent-

iful fruit of their investment.

“Daewoo was the first Korean company that started working in Pakistan and established Pakistan’s first motorway from Lahore to Islamabad” said Ambassador Munir.

Pakistani workers, businessmen, professionals, students and researchers, through their hard work and sincerity, are contributing to Korean economic development.

The Korean Embassy in Pakistan is promoting Korean culture in Pakistan and is contributing to better understanding of each other’s values and traditions.

 

Recently Pakistan has signed an MOU on defense cooperation with Korea and is now working on an FTA(Free Trade Agreement).

The two sides have been collaborating closely at various multilateral forums, including the United Nations. 

Both are the members of an important Group, Uniting for Consensus, that works on UN Security Council reform. We also closely coordinate on many other development and political issues.

Bilateral trade between the two countries was about $94 million in the 1980s but has surpassed $ 1.68 billion in the year 2022. The total bilateral trade includes Korean exports of $ 1.2 billion and the imports of almost $ 500 million.

 

□ History of Association:

 

Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the ROK were established in 1983. Before that ROK and Pakistan

had consular relations. 

Over the years, Pakistan-Korea relationship has developed in various fields, including energy, defense, trade and investment, education, science, climate change etc. 

Pakistan also assisted Korea in evacuating Afghans working with the Korean Mission in Afghanistan, through "Operation Miracle," when Kabul, the Afghan capital, fell under Taliban control in 2021.

Last year, South Korea provided $1.7 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, which had been struck by heavy torrential rains and devastating floods.

H.E Nabeel Munir said, “I am thankful to the Korean government for supporting Pakistan during and after the floods, and also thank the Korean people who also contributed generously to the relief effort.” 

Meanwhile, contacts between the two peoples date back more than 18 centuries, when Buddhism was brought to the ancient Kingdom of Baekje by Monk Maranantha in 384 A.D from Swabi in Pakistan, traveling across China and arriving at Beopseong Port, Yeonggwang County, South Joella, in the Baekje Kingdom.

A 60-member delegation of Korean Buddhist pilgrims led by Ven. Wonhaeng, President of Jogye Order of

Korean Buddhism visited Pakistan in November 2019, as new bilateral initiatives are being taken to further

enhance collaboration in tourism.

 

 

□ Sectors in which Pakistan wants enhanced Cooperation:

Pakistan is an ideal location in the heart of Asia, and gives access to growing markets of the world.

Pakistan has a big economy with 220 million population and $350 billion GDP and is full of potential. It has a

fast growing middle class, and that means consumption is increasing.

The government of Pakistan has provided excellent opportunities ,with investor-friendly policies and has taken a number of very good initiatives. The government has developed 'Special Economic Zones (SEZ)', and Special Technical Zones (STZs) that offer additional incentives and facilities to foreign investors. It includes tax holidays, duty free import of machinery, and ease of taking out profit.

“Pakistan is improving its standing in Ease of Doing Business Index and this is an opportune time to invest in

the country” said the Ambassador.

“Companies like Samsung and Kia are examples of investors earning good profits in Pakistan. Kia became the the third largest automobile manufacturer of Pakistan, beating Honda, and I am sure that would make Koreans very happy,” he added.

Pakistan needs cooperation in Science and Technology. Korea has succeeded in becoming an economic powerhouse with a technological edge, especially through big conglomerates manufacturing software and hardware, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Additionally, many tourism opportunities including in adventure tourism, religious tourism, archaeological tourism, and seaside tourism exist in Pakistan. Korean companies can invest in tourism infrastructure.

Another priority for investment in Pakistan is the power sector. As Pakistan is a growing economy, demand for power is ever increasing. Korean companies can take advantage of this opportunity.

H.E. Nabeel Munir said, “Pakistan is looking for investment in power sector to meet its short and long-term power needs including in green energy, hydro power, windmills, solar energy etc.”

 

□ Cultural Exchanges:

“Seeds of Pak-Korea relationship were sown through Buddhist culture. Religious tourism can thus be a great

catalyst to strengthen cultural exchanges,” Ambassador Munir said

Moreover, K-Culture is not only attracting the world but is already famous in Pakistan.

 

“K-drama, K-pop especially BTS are popular in our country. Therefore, it is easy to further develop these cultural exchanges,” he added.

□ Contribution of overseas Pakistanis in South Korea:

 

Ambassador Nabeel also talked about overseas Pakistani community residing in South Korea. As per data,

about 13,000 overseas Pakistanis, including students, businessmen, workers, and professionals are residing in

South Korea, contributing to South Korean economy.

Mindsets, cultural differences like food, living style and the language are hurdles they face at first. But once

they settle in, they make it their home.

One of the issues overseas Pakistanis are facing is that there are no direct flights between the two countries. If they start, it would also be a good source of trade, investment and people to people contacts.

 

 

□ Pakistan Embassy at the service of overseas Pakistanis:

 

The Pakistan Embassy is trying to do its best to cater to the needs of our overseas community residing in

South Korea.

“The Embassy has a dedicated Community Welfare Attaché, working specifically on solving the problems

faced by Pakistani community. 

E-9 workers are welcomed by the Embassy at the airport when they arrive.

Free online Korean classes have recently been started in some Universities in Balochistan.

“The embassy tries to take care of destitute Pakistanis that have health issues, or have accidents. It also helps

in transportation of mortal remains in the unfortunate event of death of a Pakistani in Korea,” clarified by the

Ambassador on a question.

H.E. Nabeel Munir said, “Pakistan Embassy is like mother for all Pakistanis. The contact numbers of the embassy are available on our website. It welcomes all Pakistanis that call or visit, and discuss problems of any kind they are facing. And of course, we are available to help within legal boundaries.”

“I would like to tell the Korean government that Pakistani people are very hard working and are contributing to Korean economy. Therefore, they must be cared for. Some Pakistani’s are facing issues of visas for their families to visit South Korea. The Pakistani Embassy is trying to resolve the issue with the Korean government.” 

“It is my request to the Korean government to help the Pakistani community and support them so they can be more productive and are able to better contribute to the development of the Korean economy,” concluded Ambassador.

 

 

 H.E. Mr. Nabeel Munir (Pakistan) is a career diplomat who

 joined Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1993. He  was born in 1969, holds a Masters degree in English  Literature and is married with two kids. He was associatd with the national daily newspaper ‘Frontier Post’ before joining the Foreign Service.

 

In his illustrious career, Amb. Munir has done both bilateral and multilateral diplomatic assignments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad and Pakistan Missions abroad. His assisted Director (1995- 1997), Deputy Director (2000- 2003), Director (2009- 2011), Director General (2019- 2020), and Additional Secretary (2020- 2022). He also served as a Director in the President’s Secretariat in 2011.

 

His overseas Missions  abroad includes the countries South Africa (1997- 2000), Belgium (2003- 2006), and Kenya (2006- 2009). He also served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (2012- 2019).

 

And now he has been appointed as the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of South Korea in March 2022.