Mexican envoy revisits ever-growing Korea-Mexico ties

Mexican Ambassador Bruno Figueroa speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Mexico in central Seoul, Jan. 5. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Mexican music concert, archaeological exhibition set to be held

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea and Mexico will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties on Jan. 26. Mexico is considered Korea's gateway to Latin America, being Korea's largest trading partner in Latin America.

Mexico Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Bruno Figueroa described the relations between the two countries as "exceptional."

"I do not exaggerate, firstly, because of the extraordinary growth of our economic relationship. Today, Korea is Mexico's fourth-largest trade partner, only after the U.S., China and Germany. Korea also is the seventh-largest investor in Mexico," Figueroa said during an interview with The Korea Times, Jan. 5.

"On the other side, it's exceptional because of the speed in which we have strengthened our relationship in only 30 years. Thirty years ago, our contacts were very, very low and our trade and investments were also very, very low. So this is an exceptional success story of a bilateral relationship (built) so strong and so fast."

The ambassador emphasized many similarities between Mexico and Korea, which propelled the two countries quickly to become key partners.

"(Mexico and Korea have) many similarities even though we are so far away. Currently, both countries are middle powers and, in the past, we have suffered from our (geographical) closeness to great powers. In a way, I would say that we are 'dolphins among whales' ― no longer 'shrimp,'" he said.

"I would say that Koreans are the 'Latinos of East Asia.' We are passionate, we love our families, we care about each other. There are many cultural characteristics that resonate very easily with the other country. Even our food and the way we eat our food is very similar."

The Angel of Independence, which commemorates Mexico's independence from Spain, is located in downtown Mexico City. Courtesy of the Embassy of Mexico in Korea

Biggest partner in Latin America

Mexico is an important trading partner for Korea and the ambassador sees more room to grow for bilateral and multilateral trade.

"Mexico and Korea are part of the global value chains and both are some of the largest manufacturers in the world. Since Mexico is a hub for especially large Korean global chain manufacturers, there is a very high volume of trade between both countries. So Korea exports not only final products such as cell phones, but also electronic components and semiconductors that are used for production in Mexico," Figueroa explained.

"At the same time, there has been an evolution in Mexico's exports to Korea, where oil and mineral products are a lower percentage of our exports to Korea, and we see more electronics, optical components and auto parts produced in Mexico that are exported to Korea."

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, some countries have adopted nationalistic trade policies. And the tensions between the U.S. and China have been mounting. Many global companies are turning to produce in closer, safer countries to prevent possible disruptions in production. For Korean companies targeting the North American market, Mexico has a great advantage for nearshoring, as it is part of the United States―Mexico―Canada Agreement (USMCA).

"Mexico is benefiting from that trend and we will see in the coming years more Korean ― as well as from other countries ― investments in our country. Mexico is already a large market, but it is part of the North American market, which is the largest market in the world," the ambassador said.

"We want to focus more on new industries such as new mobility: electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles and all the manufacturer chains around those new vehicles, in particular, electric batteries. We produce lithium in Mexico so we are pretty much interested in building the entire production chain from lithium to batteries."

Another area of great potential for cooperation is Mexico's export of agricultural and food products, such as beef and pork as well as coffee, bananas, avocados and limes. The increasing popularity of Mexican food in Korea also opens up more possibilities for Mexican produce to hit the Korean market.

"You find tacos, you find enchiladas, you find burritos, but it's difficult to find more dishes. Mexico is very rich in many senses, and when tourists arrive in Mexico, they are immediately amazed to see the huge, wide variety of the Mexican cuisine," he said.

"Definitely there is still too much Korean Tex Mex in Korea. So I am supporting having traditional ingredients and dishes that are more Mexican, and it's happening little by little."

Figueroa also hopes to resume free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries.

"We know that there is a huge potential in increasing our trade if we have a free trade agreement. So we look forward to initiating negotiations soon ― COVID has stopped what was started a few years ago. So we really look forward to keeping our conversations going with that goal," he said.

The Mexican Embassy in Korea hosts a gala concert commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries at the Seoul Arts Center on Feb. 6. Courtesy of the Embassy of Mexico in Korea.

Series of celebrations

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary, the embassy has prepared a series of events throughout the year to promote exchanges between Mexico and Korea.

First up is "Korea-Mexico 60 Years' Friendship," a gala concert by the United Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Seoul Arts Center on Feb. 6.

"We will have a gala concert with classical music, where some Mexican music will also be played. This will be the symbolic start of the celebrations. We will publish a commemorative book in Spanish and in Korean regarding the history of our relationship, with all the components of our relationship in detail," Figueroa said.

"We will have two very important exhibitions this year. One at the National Museum of Korea from May to August will be an archaeological exhibition, and I am sure it will be of huge interest for the Korean public. We will also host an exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea in June, where we will present the participation of soldiers of Mexican origin during the Korean War. We hope to have the visit of some Mexican veterans still alive, who will come back to Korea for the first time since the Korean War. So it will be a very moving moment for all of us."

Rediscovering the forgotten Mexican soldiers who fought during the Korean War as part of the U.S. army, is one of Figueroa's top achievements during his term in Korea.

"We're talking about more than 100,000 Soldiers of Mexican origin. Why was this fact hidden for so long? And who were those soldiers? What were their lives like before, during and after the Korean War?" he continued.

"They were part of the U.S. Army and they were in almost all divisions, companies and battalions. We know of the particular war itineraries of some soldiers because of the memoirs they wrote, but still we don't have the whole picture."

"We know the first deceased soldier of Mexican origin happened the day the war started, and we know that among the first group of prisoners of war that were taken at the Osan battle, there was also a soldier of Mexican origin. That's just to show that they were almost everywhere, because of their large numbers... There is still a lot of research that that has to be done."

There also will be celebrations half a world away in Mexico as well.

"The most important one is that Korea will be the guest of honor in the most important cultural festival of Mexico, which is called the Cervantino Festival. The Cervantino Festival will celebrate also its 50th anniversary. So for us, it's a very important anniversary, and Korea will be the guest of honor in this particular year, presenting many solo artists, dance and musical groups, from classic to contemporary," Figueroa said.

Through various activities held in both countries, the ambassador hopes for people to understand each other's country better.

"We want the Mexican and Korean publics to be aware of the importance of our bilateral relationship and through those activities, to know more about our common history and also about our culture, so that they can appreciate the culture of the other country," he said.

Another ambition in the ambassador's agenda is to encourage more educational exchanges.

"There are a lot of untapped cooperation possibilities between our two countries. Korea forms extraordinary engineers in many areas, where Mexicans could profit. So after COVID, I really hope we can get more Mexican students to Korea," he said.

Figueroa plans to host a summit of university presidents from Korea and Mexico that will take place in June, if the COVID-19 pandemic allows it.

"This summit will help in fostering the exchange of students among our countries, but also the exchange of teachers and university research. So we can both benefit from that."