HAPPY: The Korean community in Qatar is more united today than ever before, says the ambassador. Photos by Noushad Thekkayil
By Anand Holla
In the zen-like robustness at his office in the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in West Bay, Heung-kyeong Park appears overcome with a momentary wave of serenity when asked about his new home of eight months — Qatar.
The Korean ambassador smiles, draws a deep breath and heaps heartfelt praises on the “friendly and co-operative” atmosphere here.
“Qatar reminds me of my childhood,” Park reminisces, “Qatari culture emphasises on upholding family values and retaining their cultural richness. Back when I was a boy, the Korean society, too, was traditional and we grew up imbibing such values. Respecting the elders or how everything is in a state of tranquil, reminds me of the traditional society in Korea, which has been lost in the recent years.”
Little wonder then that Park feels at ease here in Doha. “I would like to mingle with the Qatari people but it’s not easy to meet them,” he says, smiling, “However, I regularly meet Qatari government officials and enjoy discussing with them ways to enhance our co-operation, and help each other better.”
The Korean community in Qatar comprises about 2,000 people, around 1,000 of who work with Qatar Airways while around 500 are employed in the construction sector. “Qatar Airways flies to Korea seven times a week. So it’s good for the Korean expats who work here,” he says.
Having spent more than 25 years in diplomacy, Park moved to Qatar in April as he was posted as an ambassador for the first time. After studying in Korea, Park joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989 and soon completed his post-graduation studies in Political Science in the US. “I have always had a keen interest in environment, sustainable development, and nature. So I focused on environment and climate change negotiations,” he says.
Park’s first posting was in London, followed by Libya, Korea, Australia, and again Korea when he returned to serve as Director for Environment in the Ministry, before going to Thailand “to help developing countries progress by sharing knowledge and providing logistical support”.
Park says, “I, then, served as Deputy Director General for environment and sustainable development, and also worked at the presidential committee on Green Cross in Korea. My expertise and interest lies in sustainable development. When we went to Israel, we saw that they had developed their arid regions into green areas. Qatar, too, is a country of arid area. I would therefore like to contribute to this nation with sustainable development solutions.”
During his tenure here in Doha, Park is keen on expanding bilateral co-operation while maintaining a focus on sustainable development. “Qatar heavily relies on the hydrocarbon industry. It would like to expand its economy to other areas. Korea is very well-equipped to work with Qatar on those lines. As we all know, Korea scripted its economic and social development from the ashes of the Korean War. We have achieved great progress in a short span of 50 years. So we have a living memory of our social and economic development. We are ready to share that with Qatar,” he explains.
Qatar is eager to co-operate with other countries, including Korea so as to keep moving forward, feels Park. Citing the example of the now-underway Qatar-Korea LED Project, Park says, “LED light is the most energy efficient of all. But these devices are very sensitive to temperature. Since the temperatures here are very high, Qatar-Korea LED Consortium, composed of SMEs, are working to develop LED lights tailored to high temperatures in the Mena area. They are jointly developing and conducting research and development here as well as a manufacturing facility here.”
Outside of work, Park likes to hit the road at times to Zubarah, Dukhan, or an occasional road trip to Riyadh or Bahrain. “Since my residence is by the beach, I relax, play table tennis with my wife, and even fish here because I have barely one year left as our embassy will be relocating sometime next year,” he says, “Sometimes, I get lucky with fishing. I once caught a big fish that weighed more than 10kg. We made a soup of it and saw raw dishes and shared it with our colleagues,” he says.
While Park and his wife Serena visit hotels, the religious complex, and malls, when they can find time, they badly miss their children who, until their move to Doha, had always been with them. “Our children are now in Korea. It’s a big change for me and my wife. They have grown up now,” Park says.
Geun Hong (24) is doing his post-graduation studies while Geun Seok (21) is studying in the university back in Korea. “We usually communicate over phone and the Korean version of Whatsapp called KakaoTalk. In it, we have created a family chatting room. Usually, we send long messages to our children and they send the shortest one- word replies,” he says with a chuckle.
Park acknowledges that dealing with the distance could be more difficult on Serena than him. “She misses them a lot,” he says, “She is my special adviser. I am interested in medical co-operation with Qatar. Since she studied as a nurse, I usually rely on her for advice on issues related to health and medicine. Sometimes, I am too busy to read newspapers. So she reads them and gives me a gist of the important news.”
To involve the Korean community in Qatar, the embassy supports events that celebrate Korean culture. “In October, for the 8th Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan, we brought down an award-winning Korean B-boying group, who performed at Katara. Somebody flattered me by saying this was the best show he had seen in Qatar,” says Park, “We even treated visitors to authentic Korean food such as Bibimbap, Korean barbecue, etc.”
The Korean National Day reception saw a Korean art exhibition and a Taekwondo performance among many other activities. “We even held a fishing competition here. Some Qataris caught big fishes, but Koreans managed to catch only small ones,” Park says, “The Korean community in Qatar is more united today than ever before. I am happy to see that under the new chairman of Korean Association, the community’s bonding has grown stronger.”
Of all the fascinating elements of Qatari culture, Park loves attending Qatari wedding ceremonies so as to soak in the traditional experiences. “I love their sword dance and their rhythmic percussion-based music,” he says.
Park would like more Qataris to visit Korea because Korea, too, has so much cultural goodness to share with the Qataris, he feels. For instance, Qataris should make a medical trip to Korea, as we adhere to very high standards.”
“Korean history is more than 3,000 years old and the diversity of Korean culture is remarkable. We have more than 10 Unesco registered heritage sites, and another 10 intangible cultural heritage such as the Arirang song, shared by all Korean people, regardless of where they live,” Park says, of the Korean folk song that’s regarded as the unofficial national anthem of Korea.
Speaking of songs, Park is keen on inviting artists belonging to one of Korea’s most popular exports in recent times — K-Pop. “The problem is these pop stars are too busy to make time. I know that a lot of Qataris and expats in Qatar want to meet them and I will try my best to bring them down here,” says Park.
Such craze extends to Korean dramas as well. “Korean dramas are so popular that many ladies here watch it on a daily basis. They even catch words from the show as they watch it with Arabic subtitles,” Park says and smiles, “I met one Qatari girl who could speak Korean only by watching Korean drama series. She must be very clever. It’s for such fans that I would like to fly these stars down to Qatar.”
