By Kim Ji-eun

 

“We   believe  that   Korea would  be  an  excellent  partner to explore and         exploit  new  gas  deposits in our country or to build new infrastructure to  improve our capacities to export this product,” said Peruvian Ambassador Paul Fernando Duclos Parodi.

In an interview with Diplomacy Journal, Peruvian Ambassador Duclos Parodi said, “SK Innovation has an important participation in the  exploitation of gas from "Camisea" in Cusco. Likewise, Dohwa Engineering and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, together with the Korean Airports Corporation (KAC) have a stake in the supervision   and construction of the Chinchero International Airport in Peru. This airport will  help the entrance of tourists to our wonder of the world, Machu Picchu and other amazing attractions in Peru.”

 

 

Noting that the Peruvian Navy Training Ship "BAP Unión" is scheduled to visit the city of Busan, from September 10 to 14, Amb. Duclos Parodi said, ”We plan to open its doors to the entire Korean population and those residing in the country, who will be able to enjoy our culture and traditions through the various programmed activities.”

The following is the full-text of the Diplomacy Journal's exclusive interview with Peruvian Ambassador Duclos Parodi.

 

Question: Would you introduce your image of South Korea?

 

Answer: Korea could be a distant country geographically but very close in common visions and shared values. This has allowed us, throughout these first sixty years of bilateral relationship to have signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2011 and established a Comprehensive Strategic Association since 2012, as well as developing formal mechanisms for articulation in prioritary areas.

 

▲ Machu Picchu

We are also important players on the international scene since our active participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), which we will chair successively in 2024 and 2025.

But if there is something that I have been able to appreciate in these months residing in the country, it is its increasing openness to the world through its cultural revolution through k-food, k-dramas and k-food, as well as its dizzying growth in the field of information and communication technologies, where it exercises recognized international leadership.

Along these lines, we are very satisfied with the creation of a Peru-Korea Center for Cooperation in Government and Digital Transformation in Lima, since 2021, which develops strategies to promote the use of digital technologies that offer better services to citizens and allow the digital inclusion in all sectors.

 

▲ Panoramic View of Cusco Main Square

 

Q: As far as I know there are many Peruvian cultural events being prepared for the celebration of the 60th anniversary this year. Please introduce them in detail.

A: In this year of commemoration we have been developing a rich agenda of political, economic, gastronomic and cultural activities. Currently, we have an exhibition of up to 13 Peruvian and Korean master artists where the figure of Fernando de Szyszlo and Park Gu Keun stand out. This followed a photographic exhibition of the "Great Inca Trail", which is an ancient communication system and a great legacy of the Andean civilization. Similarly, we were able to celebrate Alpaca Day in Korea for the first time, which is an animal native to Peru that is widely recognized for its fur.

 

▲ Salta Mines in Maras, Sacred Valley

I would like to highlight especially the arrival of the Peruvian Navy Training Ship "BAP Unión" in the city of Busan, from September 10 to 14, when it opens its doors to the entire Korean population and those residing in the country, who will be able to enjoy our culture and traditions through the various programmed activities. Visiting hours will be from Sunday 10 to Wednesday 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 17:30 p.m., except Tuesday 12 when visiting hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m.

Later in November we will have an exhibition of the "Torito de Pucarà (Little Bull of Pucará), which, like the Korean Haechi, protects and gives good luck to the Andean buildings in which it is placed, as well as the visit of scissors dancers who It is a very special ethnic dance from Peru and an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Q: What are the areas in where you want Korean companies to invest?

 

▲ The Floating Islands of Uros On Lake Titicaca

 

A: Our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has allowed the sustained growth not only      of our commercial exchange and the access of Peruvian agro-industrial products to the market, but also on the Korean investments in the country.   Thanks to our stable macroeconomic conditions and policy to eliminate obstacles to foreign investment, it has become the fourth recipient of Korean FDI in the        region with US$820 million.

Additionally, more than 100 Korean  companies have  all  kinds of presence in  Peru, in several fields such as infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries,  hydrocarbons, services, between others. 

 

Q: What are competitive products in Peru? What products or services does your country export to Korea? What are the Korean products that your country import?

 

▲ Basilica Cathedral at Plaza De Armas Arequipa

 

A: In 2022 our bilateral trade reached around USD 4,000 million. An economic  exchange that has grown 6 times since 2010 before our FTA.  

Currently, it is possible to find in the Korean supermarkets our excellent quality Asparagus, Avocados, Mangoes, Grapes, and Organic Banana, as well as frozen varieties of seafood and  Peruvian superfoods.

We have a complementary economy offering what Korea needs in both traditional and mineral products, including agro-industrial and hydrobiological while we import technological products such as appliances, cars, televisions, batteries, and equipment of all kind.

 

▲ Tourists at The Cruz Del Condor Viewpoint, Colca Canyon

 

Q: What are major Korean companies actively engaged in bilateral business?

 

A: SK Innovation, for example, has an important participation in the  exploitation of gas from "Camisea" in Cusco. Likewise, Dohwa Engineering and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, together with the Korean Airports Corporation (KAC) have a stake in the supervision   and construction of the Chincheros in Peru between other several projects. This airport will  help the entrance of tourists to our wonder of the world, Machu Picchu and other amazing attractions in Peru. 

We   believe  that   Korea would  be  an  excellent  partner to explore and         exploit  new  gas  deposits in our country or to build new infrastructure to improve our capacities to export this product.

 

Q: What are your famous tourist attractions? Is there any program for the Peruvian government to attract foreign tourists?

 

▲ Group of 3 Species of Macaws Flying From The Clay

 

A: The recent facilities to visit Peru and the increase in the flight connections in these countries have increased tourist arrivals. Before COVID-19, the number of Korean visitors to Peru was 32,133 Koreans per year and we expect to recover this number in the near future.

Peru owns three main regions, where it is possible to find beautiful beaches, the Andean mountains and the Amazon basin or rainforest with beautiful natural reserves. This lets Peru to offer so different landscapes, activities and sports. It also applies to the excellent regional gastronomy .

We are also a cradle of civilization country with more than 5000 years old, in this path we have developed a strong Andean civilization with multiple manifestations that ended with the Inca´s empire. Cuzco was the capital of this civilization and offers wonderful archeological sites such as Chincheros, Saqsayhuamán, Choquequirao, and, of course, one of the seventh wonders of the new world, Machu Picchu. As the Korean people like to hike, it is recommended to take some days to do the incredible Inca´s Trail. This route is considered the most incredible and surprising in Latin America.

Several pre-Inca civilizations has also left a legacy of amazing archeological sites  such as Chavin, the Moche civilization, Kuelap and the mysterious Nazca lines. 

We also have beautiful cities as UNESCO world patrimony of humanity as result of the mestizaje between Spaniard influence and Andean traditions, as well of a wonderful gastronomy all around the country, with exotic products and a fusion with different migrations received during our history.

 

Q: What are the most important festive days in your country? 

A: We celebrate our independence day on July 28 and 29th when every house places a Peruvian flag in its windows. It is a very special opportunity to reflect about our past and our main challenges in the future. We also celebrate important religious fests such as the Holy Week, the immaculate conception and Christmas.

I should also say that being Peru festive country we count with several occasions for dancing and singing celebrations in almost all regions in Peru, particularly I would refer the Inti Raymi or fest of the sun that dates back to the Inca´s time and that we celebrate in June. 

 

Q: Please, introduce your personal history, hobbies, family members and others.

 

A: I have the privilege of representing my country as a diplomat for more than 25 years, after I obtained my law degree. I have served in the Mission of Peru to the United Nations in New York, on two occasions, and in the Embassies of Peru in Japan, India and the Netherlands. I am married and have a son, that lives in New York, and a daughter that we are pleased to share our Korean experience with her. She is currently studying her career in fashion design in FIT, Korea campus in Songdo.

Also, I have a special interest in learning about the history and traditions of the countries in which I live, so I am really enjoying the beautiful places to visit, experiences, and artistic and cultural traditions in Korea.

 

Q: Please, tell us anything else you think it is important about the relationship between Peru and Korea.

 

A: This special year of commemoration or Hwangap, as the eastern philosophy states, is a special opportunity to reflect on what we have reached until now and a festive moment for a better new beginning. These are just the first sixty years of a partnership and a friendship that I am sure is destined to grow and to be strengthened. 

We would like that this excellent relationship in the official level could be also translated to the general people level and to show them how Korea and Peru have so many similarities being part of an ancient culture, proud of its multiple traditions and artistic manifestations and of an internationally recognized and widely distributed gastronomy. We count for that with the active presence of our nationals in our respective countries, who contribute day by day to strengthening our mutual understanding. 

Today we celebrate the path traveled, but mainly we expect with hope and optimism what the future will present to this special bond between our countries.