By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Thanks to a yogurt commercial on TV, Korean people have at least a sense of knowledge of Bulgaria and an image to be associated with the country.
New Bulgarian Ambassador Kossio Kitipov was happy to learn about the association people make, yet it isn't enough for him. ``When I ask people on a street in Seoul about Bulgaria, I hope they can immediately tell me more,'' he said in an interview with The Korea Times.
For a self-starter and self-motivator, making Bulgaria visible in Korea will remain his priority for the next four years.
In a way, he has already made the first step toward his goal for the past one month while his status still remained unofficial.
He submitted his credentials to President Lee Myung-bak only a week ago. But he was already in full swing with preparations for the visit of Ivailo Kalfin, the foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Bulgaria.
``I hope that things bear fruit quickly because I can see many opportunities in our relationship,'' the ambassador said. And for that, he doesn't want to waste any time.
During the foreign minister's visit, the two governments signed agreements on economic cooperation and social security, two fruits he values highly.
The agreement on social security, in particular, carries a significant implication, the ambassador said, although the number of exchange workers is relatively small. The agreement gives exemption to Korean workers in Bulgaria and vice versa with regard to social security payments. By establishing the legal protection, ``it will encourage more Koreans and Bulgarians to work in each other's country,'' Kitipov said.
Currently, nearly 150 Bulgarians are working here, the ambassador said. An accurate number of Korean workers in Bulgaria isn't available, but according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a total of 174 Koreans were living there as of April 2008.
Kitipov has also gone ahead to prepare for Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov's visit to Seoul scheduled for next year. President Lee Myung-bak invited him to Korea during a summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting last month in Beijing, although nothing has been finalized.
He has begun preparations already so as to ``make the best out of it,'' and one of the get-to-know visits will start this week. A delegation comprising of mayors and businessmen are arriving and meeting with people in the textile industry to discuss cooperation in Bulgaria's leading industry.
The ambassador is well aware of the knowledge gap between the two countries, but it doesn't discourage him.
Putting aside inevitable impediments, such as geographical distance and time difference, he is trying to see what he can do more to move the young relationship begun in 1990 forward.
``I see very interesting possibilities that are going to challenge me,'' the ambassador said as the reason why he chose to come to Korea, his first Asian posting in his entire diplomatic career.
He said he will probably work on introducing Bulgarian history and its rich heritage inherited from the Roman, Thracian and Byzantine eras to Koreans. He was positive that people would be absolutely amazed by the country's ancient monasteries and architecture, not to mention the nature beauty and spas that have already made their names among Europeans.
He also aspires to present Bulgarian art and music to a Korean audience.
Kitipov mentioned the Rose Festival during which people from all over the world ― except Korea ― flock to pick unique Bulgarian roses.
In fact, Bulgarian roses maintain get reputation for their aroma. ``There's almost no French perfume brands that don't use Bulgarian rose extract for their products,'' he said, showcasing a candle, soap and perfume made from them.
He said it's odd to see a stark contrast between Japanese tourists who are part of the mainstream in his country and Koreans who are almost invisible. He even saw Japanese retirees coming to Bulgaria to live there, he said and wondered, Why not Koreans?
The ambassadors of Croatia and Slovenia who oversee Korea from Japan raised the same question. They said in common that the number of Korean tourists isn't comparable to that of Japanese tourists coming into their countries.
But even so, he sees as an opportunity and pledged to do everything in his capacity to attract more people there.
``I can see many opportunities in our relations,'' he said.