Flavours of Korea

The finest of Korean hospitality, food, music, and bonhomie, were dished out in full flow at a grand ceremony held by the Korean Embassy in Qatar to celebrate the Korean National Day.The celebration on Tuesday evening at the Grand Hyatt Doha was attended by ministers, ambassadors, diplomats, dignitaries, businessmen, and members of the Korean community. Following a poignant speech by Heung Kyeong Park, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea, that shed light on the excellent relations between Korea and Qatar and also delved briefly into the history and rise of this prosperous East Asian nation, a cake-cutting ceremony was held.The highlight of the evening was a sparkling music performance “to celebrate the increasing ties between Qatar and Korea”. On the back of a successful joint concert featuring some of the most spectacular contemporary Korean musical talent such as prolific Korean counter-tenor David Dong Qyu Lee, pianist Sonja Park, and other Korean artistes from Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, on Monday evening at Katara, the same artistes returned to take the stage at the Al Silia Ballroom and deliver another crackling performance.Visibly pleased with the turnout and the warm reception to the ceremony, Park told Community, “It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate this event here in Doha with such esteemed guests. On the occasion of Korean national day, we are witnessing an expansion of co-operation between Qatar and Korea from energy and construction to healthcare and manufacturing industries.”The ceremony was originally planned to be held last month to jointly celebrate National Foundation Day or Gaecheonjeol observed on October 3, marking the legendary formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon in 2333 BC, and just as significantly, National Liberation Day or Gwangbokjeol observed on August 15, to commemorate the end of Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II and the establishment of the Republic of Korea. Gwangbokjeol  literally means “the day the light returned,” which seems like an apt way to describe what happened on August 15, 1945 – a long period of occupation finally came to an end as South Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation by the armed forces of the US and Soviet Union.Park points out that the date of celebration was deferred from October 3 to November 15 so as to also celebrate the opening of the new embassy premises at the new diplomatic area of Doha. “However, an unexpected delay in the completion of its construction forced us to host the national day reception here at the Grand Hyatt Hotel instead. Early next year, we may have a separate opening ceremony at the new embassy premises,” Park said.In his speech, Park elaborated on a variety of issues related to Korea. “It must be said that Korea is currently getting through various difficulties, most notably the global economic slowdown as well as military threats from North Korea and domestic political instability,” Park said. “As you are aware, Korea still remains a remarkable example of economic, social and political development over six decades, (risen) from the ashes of Korean War of the early 1950s. Likewise, though the present difficulties may be substantial, I believe Korea, as it always has, will manage to navigate such obstacles through the concerted efforts of its hardy citizens.”Park expressed pleasure at the continually evolving bilateral relations between Korea and Qatar. “In November 2014, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, visited Korea, while President Park Geun-hye reciprocated, by visiting Qatar in March 2015. On those occasions, our two countries have agreed to expand the relationship beyond energy and infrastructure to education, healthcare, ICT (Information and communications technology), and other areas.”Interestingly, Qatar still supplies one third of Korea’s natural gas consumption (13 million tons annually) and one tenths of Korea’s oil consumption (100 million barrels). “Meanwhile, many Korean companies have participated in the construction of various infrastructure projects, such as the Doha Metro, Lusail Expressway, Umm Haul power and desalination plant, and Hamad Medical City hospital. Korea and Qatar have also co-operated in new types of joint projects such as the non-hydrocarbon LED manufacturing industry. The Korea-Qatar LED project is in progress with a view to producing Mena-tailored LED lights in co-operation between Korean LED consortium and its Qatari counterpart,” Park said. “At the initial stage, LED plants will be built at a cost of US$34 million and produce 500,000 units of LED lights per year.”As for the healthcare sector, some Korean hospitals have expressed their interest in co-operating with their Qatari counterparts in sharing knowledge and experience of medical techniques, Park pointed out. “The upcoming Korea-Qatar medical forum in late November between Korean hospitals and Hamad Medical Corporation will take place in conjunction with Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH),” the ambassador said.  Furthermore, Park revealed that the fourth session of “Korea-Qatar high-level strategic co-operation committee” will discuss various areas of co-operation between the two countries in Seoul, early next month. Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, will lead the meeting as Co-chair from the Qatari side.Interestingly, the National Liberation Day is perhaps the only Korean holiday that is celebrated by both the countries – South Korea and North Korea. South Korea’s population, in April this year, was estimated to be around 50.8 million by National Statistical Office. Highly urbanised at 92 per cent – most South Koreans live in urban areas owing to the rapid migration from the countryside during the country’s fast-paced economic expansion in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s – South Koreans lead a distinctive urban lifestyle. Half of them live in high-rises concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area with 25 million residents and the world’s sixth leading global city with the fourth largest economy and seventh most sustainable city in the world. According to the Korean Embassy, the Korean community in Qatar comprises close to 2,000 people, around 1,000 of who work with Qatar Airways while around 500 are employed in the construction sector.