40th Anniversary of Korea-Pakistan Diplomatic Relations…Interview with Pakistan Ambassador to Korea Nabeel Munir
Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Nabeel Munir(left) speaks about Pakistan at the Pakistani Embassy in Seoul, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On the right is Lim Ji-min, interpreter and translator and CEO of JM Connect, who was in charge of the interview.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and Pakistan. Could you tell us about your relationship with Korea?Thank you. First of all, thank you for coming and interviewing me. Pakistan and Korea established diplomatic relations in 1983 and that's why we are celebrating 40 years of our establishment of diplomatic relations.
But, the actual people to people contacts between Pakistan and Korea are much older. Many of Koreans don't know that buddhism in Korea came from Pakistan. And monk marananta who brought buddhism to Korea almost 1600 years ago was came from Pakistan and his monastery is still here in Korea. In Pakistan, there is also a Buddhist monastery of Monk Marananta in the Swabi region.
For the past 40 years, Korea and Pakistan have maintained good relations. During the Korean war, Pakistan supported Korea through financial support, and we were one of the top three financial supporters of Korea during the Korean war. We have an excellent economic relationship and we have a trade relationship that is more than 1.6 billion dollars.
Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Nabeel Munir speaks about Pakistan.
There are many Korean big companies such as Samsung, Kia, Hyundai and Lotte in Pakistan, as well as Korean electric companies that have built hydroelectric power plants.
Daewoo, which built Pakistan’s first highway in the 1980s, still have investments in Pakistan and then also on people to people contacts. There are Pakistanis who are living in Korea. There are almost 13,000 Pakistanis living in Korea. They're working in diverse fields. Many of them are students and researchers in the universities.
There are Pakistanis laborers who come to Korea. Korea has the EPS and has given a quota to Pakistani laborers. Currently, Korea grants over 2,000 quotas per year to Pakistani workers under the Employment Permit System.
Then, we have good defense collaboration and we have good political collaboration. After the ASEAN meeting held in Cambodia last year, the Korean foreign minister visited Pakistan along with the Pakistani foreign minister.
I think there is great potential to expand cooperation in the economic aspect between the two countries in the future. We have a population of 240 million and if you compare it with Korea, that's about five times.
So you can imagine how big the economy. We have a very large middle class and fortunately, the young population is very large, accounting for 65% of the total population. Korea has a declining population, but, we have one of the fastest growing populations in the world. So, I think that is also why there is human resource that we can provide to Korea as well. I mean that although we have maintained good relations already, but there is a lot of potential for further expansion in the future.
Faisal Mosque, the national mosque in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan.
Can you please tell us the history and culture that you'd like more Korean to know about Pakistan?As I said, currently, Pakistan is a young country with a population of 240 million, but it has a long history as the origin of several ancient civilizations such as the Indus Civilization.
In Pakistan, relics from before the Gandhara Kingdom of 8,500 years ago still remain. So we are one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Then of course, there are stupas from thousands of years ago related to the Gandhara civilization based on Buddhism. Old cities such as Taxila remain, which were centers of art, religion and education during the heyday of Buddhist culture in the 5th century BC. Taxila, located between the Indus and Hydaspes rivers, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Pakistan has five of the world's 14 highest mountains, including K2 (8611m), the second highest in the world. Nanga Parbat, which is over 8000m high, is considered a dangerous mountain to climb.
Adventurous tourists can enjoy river rafting, and there are many beautiful mountains that can be climbed by normal person like me. Pakistan has three of the world's greatest mountain ranges, the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalayas. And we have many tourist attractions including beautiful sandy beaches, deserts, cultural history and religious tourism that can be recognized by name. And we have beautiful four seasons. Due to geographical characteristics, even during summer, we can have a temperature of minus 20 and plus 40 at the same time.
Yes, it‘s a big country. Pakistan has an area of 800,000 square kilometers which is 8 times the size of South Korea. So it's a big country. Pakistan was a British colony for 90 years from 1857 and gained independence in 1947. So, the history of the independence movement is also similar to that of Korea. We also went through difficult wars such as the Korean War.
Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Nabeel Munir speaks about Pakistan.
Can you introduce some tourist spots in Pakistan to Koreans that Koreans might like?Our national religion is islam, but a lot of Buddhist culture remains. The ‘Statue of Penance of Siddhartha’ in the Lahore Museum is a very important Buddha statue for Buddhists, and was sculpted around the 2nd century as a work of Gandhara art that combines Greek Hellenism and Buddhism. Takti-Bahi, a Buddhist temple built in the early 1st century, is one of the largest and best-preserved Buddhist temples.
In my hometown, Lahore, you can see the buildings of the Mughal Empire, which was once the world's largest economy. The beautiful Deosai National Park is an alpine zone with an altitude of 3500 to 5200 m, and is a place of outstanding ecological value.
Multan, in the Punjab province, is home to numerous archaeological sites from the early Harappan period of the Indus Valley Civilization, 3300 BC. In addition, there are the Pakistani National Faisal Mosque in the capital, Islamabad, the Mohenjodaro Archaeological Site, the oldest in South Asia, and the Cholistan Desert.
The Kalasha are the smallest ethnic group in Pakistan, with only a few thousand remaining. It has been designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as an ancient tribe with its own way of life, religion, and language. In Multan, a pottery craft called 'Kashi', which is called blue pottery art, is still going on. Truck art is a popular decorative form in South Asia, and truck art in Pakistan is famous for its elaborate and colorful floral patterns and calligraphy.
Pakistan has five of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including K2 (8611m), the second highest in the world.
What should Koreans do to travel to Pakistan? Are there any safety or security issues?There are no direct flights from Korea yet, but it's not too far. There are flights via Bangkok, China, Dubai, Qatar, etc. The shortest route is via Bangkok. It takes about 4 hours from Bangkok to Pakistan.
Perhaps if there is a direct flight, you can go to Pakistan in about 6 hours. There are a lot of negative media reports about security issues.
There were some security issues a few years ago, but now most Pakistani cities and tourist destinations are considered safe. And also, it is not difficult to apply for a visa and make hotel reservations.
Please tell us about the Korean wave that pakistani are interested in.Korea is becoming very well known. K-pop and k-drama are popular in Pakistan. You can find a lot of BTS fans in Pakistan and my own niece can speak a little bit of Korean now because she watches K-drama through NETFLIX.
K-culture is gaining popularity in Pakistan and the Korean Embassy in Pakistan is also planning an event to invite K-pop stars to Pakistan. Personally, I like Korean dramas, so I watched ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Crash Landing on You’.
Our national religion is islam, but a lot of Buddhist culture remains. The ‘Statue of Penance of Siddhartha’ in the Lahore Museum is a very important Buddha statue for Buddhists.
What are some travel destinations you've been to in Korea so far and which travel destinations in Korea you would like to recommend to Pakistan?I think it’s Busan. I've been to Busan many times and Busan is beautiful city. I also went to the Pyeongchang Ski Resort, where the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were held, and it was really beautiful.
Also, the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in northern Gyeonggi Province and Pohang were also very good. Recently, I went to Jeju Island. Jeju Island is also a wonderful place.
The most memorable places in Busan are Haeundae Beach and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
What should be done to make exchanges between Pakistan and Korea more active in the future?I believe that people to people exchange is the foundation of all relationships. When people get to know the other country then they get more interested and then everything else follows whether it's economy whether it's political context whether it's culture.
The priority is for more Pakistanis to visit Korea and more Koreans to visit Pakistan. I think more Koreans need to visit Pakistan to clear up their misunderstandings and concerns about Pakistan.
I always say that Pakistan is a beautiful country, a safe country to travel in, and a good place to do business that can provide very good opportunities for Korean companies.
Lahore, you can see the buildings of the Mughal Empire, which was once the world’s largest economy.
Yeah. So are you planning to have any big events or conference? Because this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between Korean and Pakistan.We will be having an investment conference at Ambassador Hotel in Seoul on 27th of July for which Pakistan's minister for investment is coming.
In August, a music night will be held with the support of the Seoul National Cemetery. It will be held at the outdoor theater of the National Seoul Museum. On August 11, concerts such as Arirang will be held in Pakistan.
Every October, a multicultural festival held under the theme of one country is held in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. This year's theme is Pakistan. Pakistani musicians give a cultural performance.
We are planning a music concert in Seoul in October with cultural and musicians from Pakistan. Although no date has been set yet, the Kandara exhibition is being planned with the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration and the Jogye Order.
<편집자 주>지구촌 별별 이야기를 담는 나우뉴스는 외국인 오피니언 리더들의 눈과 입을 통해 세계의 다양하고 유익한 정보를 전하는 ‘헬로 월드’를 연재하고 있습니다. 인터뷰는 유엔공식벤더로 인정받은 통역번역 전문법인 (주)제이엠 커넥티드 임지민 대표와 함께 진행합니다.
