By Suh Jeong-in
During the closing ceremony of the Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato on Oct. 31, 2021, an announcement was made that Korea would be a guest country of the festival next year ― the largest cultural event in Mexico. This was praised with big applause by all those who were present.
On that same day, in the Day of the Dead parade, an annual tradition taking place in Mexico City's emblematic Reforma Avenue, hundreds of young Mexicans impressively showed up wearing costumes featuring red overalls and black masks from the Netflix Korean series "Squid Game."
Most notably, "Korean Day" is celebrated annually on May 4, on the Republic of Korea Avenue of Merida, Yucatan, where in the year 1905, the first 1,033 Koreans settled in Mexico.
Despite the Pacific Ocean's extensive vastness ― which separates Korea and Mexico ― both countries have built a very close relationship that has lasted throughout time.
Today, the annual trade volume between our countries is around $20 billion, which makes Korea Mexico's fourth largest trading partner. Mexico is Korea's most important trading partner in Latin America.
Likewise, our bilateral relationship has intensified as a result of several historical milestones, including the 2005 announcement of a Strategic Partnership between Korea and Mexico. The inauguration of a direct flight between Korea and Mexico in 2017 made Mexico a gate between East Asia and Latin America.
The establishment of diplomatic relations took place on Jan. 26, 1962, and in 2022, we will celebrate the 60th year anniversary. On this occasion, the Korean embassy will carry out different activities and events, including the exchange of congratulatory messages between our presidents, and the publication of a commemorative book.
A series of cultural events will also be held throughout Mexico to promote Korea-Mexico bilateral exchanges: Korea's participation in the 2022 Cervantino Festival, and the first Aztec civilization exhibition in Korea that will take place in the Korean National Museum in Seoul.
What path will the bilateral relationship take in the next 60 years? Taking advantage of opportunities from the U.S.-China economic rivalry and the global COVID-19 pandemic, and overcoming the geographical distance between Korea and Mexico, I want to share three prospective paths that will strengthen our already excellent bilateral relationship.First one is deepening bilateral cooperation through the institutionalization of bilateral economic cooperation, such as a Free Trade Agreement between Korea and Mexico. Once I took office as ambassador to Mexico, I carried out various outreach activities to reaffirm the importance and the need for the bilateral FTA agreement between the two countries. I have highlighted its advantages to authorities of Mexico's federal government, to legislative bodies, to state governments, and to its business sector.
In December 2021, my Embassy hosted a Korea-Mexico Economic Forum, in which participants sympathized with the importance of consummating our bilateral relationship through a trade agreement. This institutional framework will maximize the potentials of bilateral cooperation and will contribute to the international trade system. Just as Acapulco, Mexico was a connection point with Manila, the Philippines in the past, Korea and Mexico can become connectors between Asia and Latin America.
Secondly, we need to explore post-pandemic cooperation, and the health sector could be a starting point. In 2020, Korean companies provided thousands of COVID-19 test kits and medicines for child cancer to Mexico and they will be able to broaden their activities based on previous cooperation. In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, we must further promote cooperation in high-tech industries in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, as well as data processing.
Finally, in response to glocalization ― whereby local governments, the business sector, and sub regional organizations have become more important in their interaction with nation states ― there is room for further Korea-Mexico cooperation at different levels. Taking note of ??promoting relations with local governments, the Korean Embassy in Mexico will publish reports on the commercial and investment environment in each of Mexico's 32 states.
In addition, we want to contribute to strategic issues within the Latin American region by developing cooperation projects with the Latin America Office of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Mexico and establishing a cooperation framework for the use of funds from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Central American Development Bank (CABEI).
Suh Jeong-in is Korea's ambassador to Mexico.
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On that same day, in the Day of the Dead parade, an annual tradition taking place in Mexico City's emblematic Reforma Avenue, hundreds of young Mexicans impressively showed up wearing costumes featuring red overalls and black masks from the Netflix Korean series "Squid Game."
Most notably, "Korean Day" is celebrated annually on May 4, on the Republic of Korea Avenue of Merida, Yucatan, where in the year 1905, the first 1,033 Koreans settled in Mexico.
Despite the Pacific Ocean's extensive vastness ― which separates Korea and Mexico ― both countries have built a very close relationship that has lasted throughout time.
Today, the annual trade volume between our countries is around $20 billion, which makes Korea Mexico's fourth largest trading partner. Mexico is Korea's most important trading partner in Latin America.
Likewise, our bilateral relationship has intensified as a result of several historical milestones, including the 2005 announcement of a Strategic Partnership between Korea and Mexico. The inauguration of a direct flight between Korea and Mexico in 2017 made Mexico a gate between East Asia and Latin America.
The establishment of diplomatic relations took place on Jan. 26, 1962, and in 2022, we will celebrate the 60th year anniversary. On this occasion, the Korean embassy will carry out different activities and events, including the exchange of congratulatory messages between our presidents, and the publication of a commemorative book.
A series of cultural events will also be held throughout Mexico to promote Korea-Mexico bilateral exchanges: Korea's participation in the 2022 Cervantino Festival, and the first Aztec civilization exhibition in Korea that will take place in the Korean National Museum in Seoul.
What path will the bilateral relationship take in the next 60 years? Taking advantage of opportunities from the U.S.-China economic rivalry and the global COVID-19 pandemic, and overcoming the geographical distance between Korea and Mexico, I want to share three prospective paths that will strengthen our already excellent bilateral relationship.First one is deepening bilateral cooperation through the institutionalization of bilateral economic cooperation, such as a Free Trade Agreement between Korea and Mexico. Once I took office as ambassador to Mexico, I carried out various outreach activities to reaffirm the importance and the need for the bilateral FTA agreement between the two countries. I have highlighted its advantages to authorities of Mexico's federal government, to legislative bodies, to state governments, and to its business sector.
In December 2021, my Embassy hosted a Korea-Mexico Economic Forum, in which participants sympathized with the importance of consummating our bilateral relationship through a trade agreement. This institutional framework will maximize the potentials of bilateral cooperation and will contribute to the international trade system. Just as Acapulco, Mexico was a connection point with Manila, the Philippines in the past, Korea and Mexico can become connectors between Asia and Latin America.
Secondly, we need to explore post-pandemic cooperation, and the health sector could be a starting point. In 2020, Korean companies provided thousands of COVID-19 test kits and medicines for child cancer to Mexico and they will be able to broaden their activities based on previous cooperation. In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, we must further promote cooperation in high-tech industries in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, as well as data processing.
Finally, in response to glocalization ― whereby local governments, the business sector, and sub regional organizations have become more important in their interaction with nation states ― there is room for further Korea-Mexico cooperation at different levels. Taking note of ??promoting relations with local governments, the Korean Embassy in Mexico will publish reports on the commercial and investment environment in each of Mexico's 32 states.
In addition, we want to contribute to strategic issues within the Latin American region by developing cooperation projects with the Latin America Office of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Mexico and establishing a cooperation framework for the use of funds from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Central American Development Bank (CABEI).
Suh Jeong-in is Korea's ambassador to Mexico.
