By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
What comes to mind when you think of Jordan? If it's oil wells scattered throughout the country, you could be in for a surprise.
Al-Sharif Nasswer Bin Nasser, international policy advisor at the Royal Hashemite Court, the office of Jordanian King Abdullah II, said Jordan is scarce in natural resources like Korea.
``It's a misperception that many people have because we are in the Middle East. All our focus is on human resources development like Korea,'' he said in an interview.
Bin Nasser, who visited Korea last week under the Korea Foundation's Next Generation Leaders' Program, said the accomplishment of Korea in half a century is phenomenal.
``Gross domestic product (GDP) of Korea in the 1950s was similar to that of many Arab countries. Yet, Korea has managed to look beyond hardships, to come together as a nation to overcome them, and to create an economic miracle. In this regard, you are a model for us,'' he said.
Jordan is a Middle Eastern country, bordering Syria, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank and Saudi Arabia. It is slightly smaller than South Korea and mainly dry, and efficient water supply is one of the country's top priorities.
Classified as a ``lower middle income country,'' by the World Bank, Jordan's per capita GDP neared $4,900 in 2007.
The service sector dominates the Jordanian economy. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry in Jordan, with revenue from tourism accounting for 10-12 percent of the country's GDP in 2006.
He said Jordan also experienced ``hallyu,'' or the Korean wave that has swept the Middle Eastern region.
``Korean movies, soap operas and cuisines are very popular in Jordan,'' Nasser said.
Besides, a Jordan university now has a Korean language department.
With growing interest in Korea, the trip opened his eyes even further, he said, enabling him to experience the culture and people firsthand, and to see potential for further growth in the relationship.
``There are so many similarities between the two cultures. Confucian values and Islamic values are very important,'' he said.
During his eight-day stay, Bin Nasser visited the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, Samsung Engineering, Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyards in Ulsan and the ancient capital city of Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province.
``Someone introduced Gyeongju as a museum without walls. And it actually was so,'' he said.