Seungcheol Lim, the Korean Consul General to Erbil, told Rudaw’s Mohammed Sheikh Fatih last week that supporting the economic development of the Kurdistan Region is central to his mission.
“I work hard for enhancing your capability of public policy. So, now, I can see some results, and I have a plan for enhancing more and making some infrastructure for good public policy in your society,” Lim said.
He added that the Kurdistan Region can benefit from South Korea’s experience by establishing an economic institute that would help create better policies.
The consul referred to the Korea Development Institute (KDI), a prominent South Korean think tank affiliated with the government that has played a key role in shaping Seoul’s economic policies, driving growth, and managing economic crises.
“I am very confident to make this institute,” Lim said, explaining that he has shared the idea with officials, academics, and research centers, who have agreed with the concept.
In September, South Korea celebrated 20 years of ties with the Kurdistan Region. The occasion was marked with a ceremony in Erbil where Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his willingness to bolster its ties with Seoul. Lim said the event was a testimony to the strength of their collaboration.
In 2004, one year after the fall of the Baathist regime, thousands of Korean soldiers were stationed in the Kurdistan Region. They are called the Zaytun Division and are also part of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS or IS).
“[Y]ou protect your community from IS very bravely,” Lim said, acknowledging the Kurdistan Region's efforts to combat the extremist group.
The Zaytun Division and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have constructed more than 250 facilities in the Kurdistan Region, including 59 schools, 15 public health centers, the Zaytun hospital, the Zaytun library, and established the Kurdistan Institute of Public Administration (KIPA) and e-procurement system, according to an op-ed penned by former consul general Choi Kwang-Jin for Rudaw English in 2020.
A number of South Korean companies operate in the Kurdistan Region, including electronics giant LG, as well as Hyundai and Kia Motors in the automotive industry.
In 2016, South Korea upgraded its diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region from an embassy office to a consulate and since 2015 has provided funds for displaced persons and refugees.
When coronavirus spread in the Kurdistan Region in 2020, Seoul provided testing kits. The country has also trained 1,500 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials in Korea.
