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Czech Ambassador
Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. |
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Living in "Dynamic" Korea, Czech Ambassador to Korea Jaroslav Olsa, Jr.
found something more dynamic: the South Korean-Czech relations.
He described the two-decade-long development as "over-dynamic."
Whereas the Korean economy has risen to the ranks of leading global
economies in a couple of decades, the relationship between the two countries
took only 20 years to make "remarkable" achievements, the ambassador said.
Expecting a special envoy from Prague this week to celebrate the anniversary,
Olsa sat down with The Korea Times to survey proceedings.
Jiri Dienstbier served as the first foreign minister in the first government
after the fall of communism, and signed the diplomatic agreement with Korea in
1990.
He is delivering a special message to Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.
"Twenty-five years ago, the Republic of Korea did not exist for then Czechoslovak
communist regime.
The only Korea was the North," Olsa said at his office in Seoul last Tuesday.
It was still during the Cold War, and the government was under communist
influence.
He added, back then, people were not allowed any contact with South Koreans,
even in a third country.
Even among diplomats, anything above courtesy contact
was forbidden.
That changed in 1988.
The Summer Olympics saw a group of Czechoslovak
athletes in Seoul, the first official contact with South Korea, and they won three
gold medals in athletics, tennis and shooting.
The Olympic Games laid the ground for business connections, as Korea's Daewoo
established its first business partnership with Czechoslovak companies.
He remembered how people reacted to new made-in-Korea automobiles in the
streets.
"It was a 'Western luxury,'" he said, explaining that during the communist
time, it was rare that any commodity from outside the Communist Eastern
Europe entered its market.
In March 1990, the top diplomats of the two countries signed the diplomatic
relations.
According to an account from a Czech official, the initiative had sparked resentment
from North Korea, which later on resulted in a removal of Czech members
of Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Panmunjeom.
Czechoslovakia was a member from the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Czech President Vaclav Havel was in Korea on a state visit in 1992.
Former President Kim Young-sam went to Prague in 1995.
Last year, Czech President Vaclav Klaus was in Seoul presiding over the
European Union- Korea summit, and had a bilateral meeting with President Lee
Myung-bak
.
In fact, the summit didn't get much attention, for it was coincided with the
death of former President Roh Moohyun.
When it comes to trade and investment, "over-dynamic" is more pronounced.
"From nearly zero," as the envoy described, bilateral trade has grown to
$1.5 billion.
According to Korean Foreign Ministry's statistics, in 2008 alone, Korean
exports to the Czech Republic reached $830 million and imports stood at $390
million.
"Korea is now our 20th largest trading partner around the world," he added.
Outside Europe, only China, the United States and Japan are ahead of Korea.
"The figure is bigger than Brazil or India," the ambassador said.
Last year, an assembly plant of Hyundai Motors, the biggest Korean
investor earned the Czech Republic an interesting record: the largest car producing
country per capita in Europe.
When it comes to culture and human contact, the ambassador can't be happier.
"When I say I am from Prague, people know what to think about me and my
country," which lays a very positive ground for me, he said.
One element that has contributed a lot to the widespread awareness of his capital
and country is the Korean soap opera, "Lovers in Prague."
Premiered in 2005 with Jeon Do-yeon, then the most renowned Korean film
actress, the series, shot in the Czech capital, won huge favor with the Korean public,
and it resulted in raising people's awareness of the city and raising the
number of tourists to the European country.
"Now, an average of 70,000 Koreans visit the Czech Republic every year," he
said.
Yet, it wasn't just a single TV show that created a huge influx of visitors. The
reason also lies in the Korea-Czech study that is 60 years old.
The first 40 years were mainly with North Korea.
Czech students went to Pyongyang to learn Korean language, and translated
Korean books to Czech.
Now, it is cooperating with local institutions, such as the Korea Foundation,
the Korea Literature Translation Institute or the Academy of Korean Studies.
Now, a sizable number of Czechs speaking Koreans are to be found in
South Korea, making the envoy's life much easier.
Modern classics, comic books and novels - especially science fiction due to the
Ambassador's personal preference - are being translated between the Czech and
Korean languages.
Cooperation between universities is another recognizable development, he
said.
More than 25 agreements have been signed between universities so far, channeling
the flow of students and professors.
What's noteworthy is the fact that the fields of studies have been diversified.
"Many Czech students are coming here to learn computer or electronic engineering.
Likewise, many Korean students are going to our country to study Czech art,"
Olsa said.
The ambassador hopes for a few things for the future of Korea-Czech relations.
First, the Czech government hopes to have South Korean President Lee in
Prague as soon as possible.
Second, the envoy hopes to see a bigger presence of small- or medium-sized
Korean businesses in the Czech Republic and vice versa. The size of investment
isn't the priority, he said.
"Our focus is not to have anything, but to have it diversified."
Thirdly, he hopes to open a full-fledged Czech cultural center in Seoul.
To this end, the Czech Information Center's work is adding support.
Opened last year, the center provides prospective Korean companies and people
with information on the Czech Republic, and organizes cultural and
trade events.
"Relations between the two countries have matured," the ambassador said
with high anticipation for the future.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
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