By Oh Young-jin
An old Korean saying goes, “A frog doesn’t remember his days as a tadpole.”
This calls on one to maintain a sense of modesty, warning against forgetting humble beginnings.
Now Korea, which has undergone a concentrated period of development called, “the miracle on the Han river,” and is enjoying the benefits of newly-found riches, is finding itself in a similar situation in its handling of a government assistance loan to Kenya.
At the heart of the issue is a $50 million loan Korea is being asked to provide for the African state.
Its Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta sent a letter, dated July 1, asking Strategy and Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan, to provide his country with a technical, industrial, vocational and entrepreneurship training (TIVET) program.
Bahk has not responded and is not likely anytime soon, according to Korean officials.
They say that Korea can’t accommodate the request so it is not appropriate for the finance minister to address it. “We have conveyed our stance to Kenya through our embassy in Nairobi,” one said.
But it is not an overstatement that Nairobi may see it as an act of diplomatic impropriety.
Although Kenyan Ambassador Ngovi Kitau, during a recent interview, tried not to hurt Korea as a loan provider, it was not hard to imagine he was making an effort to do so, not revealing his true feelings.
Two factors should be considered.
First, Korea was not long ago a nation that received loans of a similar kind — including from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). By failing to meet diplomatic niceties such as a prompt response during a high-level correspondence exchange, Korea would most likely take the risk of being ridiculed by others for being a frog that doesn’t remember its tadpole days.
But more importantly and as the second reason, this kind of behavior is counterproductive for Korea’s ambition of becoming a leader in the global village.
Africa may remain underdeveloped but it is one of the fastest-growing regions of the world. As China has shown in its strenuous efforts to build relationships on the continent, which is rich in natural resources, Korea needs an Africa that is friendly to it.
If there is any problem with Kenya’s request, Korea would be best advised to let the nation know about it and find an amicable solution rather than dragging its feet, waiting for the other side to blink. As a matter of fact, Korean officials have raised the issue of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) Kenya signed with a Korean cooperative, calling it a no-bid deal.
But the problem with the way Seoul is reacting is showing signs of vengeance with officials saying that even if the so-called no-bid deal is revoked, it would not be possible for Seoul to oblige the Kenyan request because Nairobi may go back to the same partner.
It is understandable that bureaucrats are doing their best to execute a program as planned but it is also equally important to make them perform their duty within the framework of not hurting a greater national interest. Once again, this is not saying that elements of corruption that the Korean officials didn’t mention out loud but obviously suspect can be condoned.
Even though it is doubtful that Bahk has received a briefing, it is imperative that he should respond in his name to the Kenyan deputy premier as promptly as possible.
At stake is not just his good name but Korea’s global standing. It is time that the minister, regarded as one of the few close aides to remain to the end of President Lee Myung-bak’s tenure, should remind himself of resources security being his boss’s policy priority.