Back in 2004, the Zaytun division was stationed here in the Kurdistan Region after moving over 13,000 km through land, air and sea from the Republic of Korea with 3,000 soldiers and 5,000 tons of equipment to support Kurdish reconstruction and the economy in areas such as education, health, medical treatment, capacity building and SOC construction. The Kurdish people welcomed the Korean Zaytun as a gift granted from heaven.
Since then, the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Zaytun division and the KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) have successfully accomplished outstanding achievements such as the construction of more than 250 facilities including 59 schools, 15 public health centers, the Zaytun hospital, the Zaytun library, the establishment of KIPA(Kurdistan Institute of Public Administration) and e-procurement system, the provision of medical support for refugees and the training of 1,500 Kurdistan Regional Government officials in Korea, as well as in-kind assistance worth of more than 60 million dollars. The KRG also provided cooperation for bilateral ties.
Former President H.E. Masoud Barzani mentioned to the Zaytun division that “We have no other friend but the mountains and Korea.”
Last year we celebrated the 15th anniversary of bilateral ties between Korea and the Kurdistan Region. There was the Presidential Special Envoy’s visit to Kurdistan and his meeting with H.E. Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, the Kurdistan Parliament delegation’s visit to Korea and meeting with the Speaker of National Assembly and the 1st Korean National Day Reception held by the Zeravani Command.
This year is designated as the first year of another new round of 15 years of bilateral ties between Korea and Kurdistan.
It is meant to keep the developmental momentum of bilateral relationship in a much more future-oriented and productive direction than the past 15 years.
But at a time of turning a new leaf, ill fortune has hit in the form of the coronavirus outbreak. The virus is rampant everywhere, including in Korea and the Kurdistan Region. It has upended all conventional wisdom, especially in terms of international relations.
The grand vision for a futuristic bilateral relationship between Korea and Kurdistan region portrayed so far had faced an unprecedented crisis in these corona-clouded times, with lockdown, subsequent economic crisis and a skyrocketing uptick of infections and fatalities.
Just as Gulalaswra blooms after a long pain of winter, so the crisis should be overcome in order to blaze a trail for the futures of Korea and tthe Kurdistan Region.
Good fortune has it that the Republic of Korea has shown success in fight coronavirus without a lockdown, through innovative ideas based on IT technology such as drive-through testing stations and contact tracing application and, more than anything else, with unity and solidarity between the government and the people through the three T’s: testing, tracing and treatment.
President Moon Jae-in announced at the World health Assembly on May 18 that the Republic of Korea will provide humanitarian assistance worth 100 million dollars to meet requests from foreign governments. So far the Korean government has provided humanitarian assistance to more than 100 countries to help them control the spread of coronavirus.
Needless to say, the Korean Consulate and the KRG have been working closely to flatten the curve of Corona in the Kurdistan Region by way of providing Corona virus testing kits worth 400,000 dollars in August. In addition, KOICA provided emergency relief packages to refugees and local families and walk-through testing booths to the KRG. POSCO, a Korean steel company, assisted the KRG with the testing kits. The Korean government also provided web seminar opportunities for sharing Korea’s experience and lessons gleaned from its successful control over the spread of coronavirus.
The Korean government also decided to donate in-kind humanitarian assistance worth 300,000 US dollars to refugees and IDPs in the Kurdistan Region.
As already covered in the media, POSCO held a successful opening ceremony of the Khabat power plant in July which covers 10 % of the Kurdistan Region’s power supply.
All in all, the coronavirus has proved that it has not become an obstacle or hindrance to the bilateral relationship between Korea and the Kurdistan Region. It has brought about more chances and opportunities of cooperation rather than crisis.
Now is the time for the Republic of Korea and the Kurdistan Regional Government to stand firmly hand-in-hand in the fight against coronavirus and extend the scope and depth of bilateral cooperation to achieve the common goal of more futuristic relations between Korea and Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
To this end, the Korean Consulate in Erbil would like to hold the 2nd National Day reception, which will be the first in Kurdistan Region ,and apply the drive-in style to the National Say reception.
At the same time, in order to lay the foundation of exchange and mutual understanding on each other’s cultures, the Korean Consulate will hold ‘the Korean Week Festival’ which will be composed of on-line activities like the 1st CG Cup Taekwondo Poonsae Competition on Oct 24 and the Korean Talents Competition on Oct 17. The drive-in movie festival will be a highlight of the Korean Week Festival.
Coronavirus has made Korea and the Kurdistan Region become much closer partners than alienated friends. The sun rising above the Safin mountain should not be the same as yesterday.
Choi Kwang-Jin is South Korea's Consul General in the Kurdistan Region.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
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