Honduras takes Korea as role model for better life

By Rachel Lee

Ana Garcia de Hernandez, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s wife, wants her country to follow the path that quickly led to Korea becoming an advanced nation.

The first lady, 46, accompanied her husband on an official visit to Korea July 19-22 — the first leg of an Asian tour. The President took office early last year.

“It’s special to me as Korea is one of the countries that we look up to and also I love Korean food, it’s very healthy,” she said during an interview on July 20 at Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

Ana, a mother of three, was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, into a Christian family. She met Hernandez while studying law at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the two married in 1990. They later went to the United States to pursue their careers.

Ana set up a lawyer’s office in her homeland after getting a degree in 2002. As the wife of the president of the National Congress of Honduras 2010-14, she focused on developing social projects including “Better Life,” designed to support people in need of help with housing and jobs.

“The government has been pushing forward the project for the marginalized group in our society,” Ana said. “We’ve provided them with things like better houses made of concrete.”

Honduras, between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, established diplomatic ties with Korea in 1962 and the two have worked on projects including health-care programs with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

“I’ve had opportunities to have a close look at many ongoing projects with Korea, from which we’ve learned a lot,” she said. “With KOICA, we’re working on a project at the moment to develop a new town in our country like Incheon’s Songdo that attracts foreign direct investment.”

As the president’s wife, Ana has a tight schedule of events and formal occasions around the world. Asked how she maintains her health, Ana said: “I try to drink a lot of water and eat well throughout the journey. And I also try not to expose my skin to the sun too much especially in my country.”

Hernandez and Ana visited Busan on July 21 and left the next day for Japan and Taiwan.