INDIA-KOREA - Asia-Pacific Business and Technology Report

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INDIA-KOREA
Glorious Past Bright Future
India-Korea Relations;
Present and Future
BY Vishnu Prakash*
I’ve long been fascinated by South Korea, especially
since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, when I
learned that it was the first OECD country to
bounce back stronger than ever. And one of the
reasons why it did so was, of course, its people. Korean
people, women in particular, voluntarily donated their
gold and jewelry to help get the nation back on its feet.
I’d never even imagined seeing such a thing.
We Indians are one of the largest importers
of gold in the world. Some 1000
tons are imported each year. Indians love
gold. In India we have a joke – a wife will
say, “Please, take away my husband but
don’t take away my gold.” I’d already realized
that there was something special
about this country of Korea. But in the aftermath
of the IMF crisis, that’s when my
fascination with and admiration for it increased
further. Since I’ve arrived here, I’ve
learned that the mantra for everything is
‘bbali bballi’, or hurry-hurry. It clearly has
something to do with the speed at which
this country has transformed itself.
We are in a period of unprecedented
change in all the regions of Asia. The global
standing of both Korea and India has been
steadily rising in the political, economic,
and cultural spheres. We are both ancient
civilizations. As I read Korean history, I often
note that there are quite a few parallels
between us, cultural, political and economic.
Both Korea and India have similarities of
outlook and have seen significant changes.
Korea’s per capita income in 1962 was half
of ours but now is about 10 times more. Korea
as a nation has done remarkably well,
and I can say, as an Indian person, that as
your friends, we are happy for you.
The Prime Minister of India paid an official
visit to South Korea last month. Before
coming here, he gave an interview to the
managing editor of the JoongAng Ilbo, who
had travelled to New Delhi for the purpose.
The PM likened India, a large country of 1.2
billion people, to an elephant, which may
be slow to move, but when it starts it cannot
be stopped.
But even though India is an elephant to
Korea’s tiger, there are many similarities
between us. The two countries have both
overcome great challenges in similar ways.
Back in the 50s, India had a ‘ship-to-mouth’
existence. If a food shipment didn’t come in
That both countries are
flourishing democracies makes
our relationship people-driven.
There is complete consensus across
the political spectrum in India
to have the closest of relations
with Korea, which is being built
on the foundation of a strategic
partnership…
Mr. Vishnu Prakash with President Mr. Lee Myung-bak and Minister of
Foreign Affairs & Trade Kim Sung-Hwan at Blue House on March 19, 2012.
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