Canada-Korea Trade Deal ’Will Take More Time’
Embassy, Ottawa
Canada-Korea Trade Deal ’Will Take More Time’
By Michelle Collins
8 April 2009
New South Korean Ambassador Ha Chan-ho says the financial crisis has put the brakes to finishing the Canada-Korea free trade agreement.
Even with the global recession, new South Korean Ambassador Ha Chan-ho believes there is great potential to expand the economic relationship between Canada and South Korea-including through the eventual conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement.
Mr. Ha, who explains his role is to lay the ground work for the promotion and acceleration of trade on a commercial basis, says South Korea has not been too hard hit by the economic crisis. He says the Asian nation has diversified its trade markets and sources, an option he suggests Canada might pursue more aggressively.
South Korea’s largest trading partner is China, followed by Japan and the U.S. Mr. Ha says his country is also looking to expand economic relations in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
"The trade with other areas provides some balance, because some countries in Latin America have been relatively less affected," he says.
"For Canada, there is nothing to lose, many things to gain," he says of diversification, adding that Canada could look to Asia, and in particular to South Korea and Japan, for more trade.
As for the yet-to-be-concluded free trade agreement between Canada and South Korea, negotiations were first launched back in 2004 but have hit several roadblocks over the years.
"They’ve negotiated most of the thorny issues. They need strong political momentum to get it done, and suddenly the financial crisis came; for that reason it will take more time," Mr. Ha says.
The sectors holding up the trade agreement include auto manufacturing concerns in Canada, and worries in South Korea about beef imports.
"This sudden eruption of the financial crisis has halted developments on these issues." Mr. Ha says. "[The agreement] is totally depending on how soon we get out of the economic crisis."
Mr. Ha presented his credentials to Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean on March 31, starting on his second ambassadorship. Before being posted to Ottawa, Mr. Ha was Korean ambassador to Iraq and was living in Baghdad.
"This was a totally different experience for me, not like the normal life of a diplomat, more like a soldier or explorer," Mr. Ha explains, adding that it was so dangerous his wife was not allowed to accompany him there. "The embassy was like a military camp in a battlefield. Whenever we’d go out of the embassy, this was like a military operation, big vehicles surrounded by military guards."
South Korea was part of the coalition group in Iraq, but participated only in reconstruction, maintaining peace and training locals. South Korean forces were in Iraq for four years, and withdrew at the end of 2008.
"Iraqi-Korea relations are excellent. Before the war, many Korean companies were in Iraq and did most of the infrastructure," Mr. Ha says. "People in Iraq liked the Koreans very much because Koreans are kind and hardworking and they respected the local traditions. And Korea is not a super power."
As representative for a like-minded middle-power similar to Canada, Mr. Ha says he has worked with many Canadian diplomats over the years in multilateral fora to which he’s been posted, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations.
"I was impressed very much with the work, capability and high skills of Canadian diplomats," he says.
After joining South Korea’s ministry of foreign affairs in 1978, Mr. Ha served as first secretary with South Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York and was part of the diplomatic team that officially ushered the country into the UN from observer status to a permanent member in 1991.
"That was very exciting...I still vividly remember all the other members watched us closely to see whether we did our homework or not," Mr. Ha says. "And, voting on resolutions, they watched the positions we took [because] once we took a position, it will be the position for some time to come."
Mr. Ha says it was an emotional experience to finally be seated with official members and watch as the South Korean and North Korean flags were hoisted simultaneously in the United Nations.
Now in Ottawa, Mr. Ha says South Korea and Canada are very good partners on multilateral issues such as human rights, foreign aid, peacekeeping, anti-terrorism and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
"Korea and Canada have been very valuable friends, more valuable to Korea because Canada dispatched a large number of soldiers for the Korean War and precious lives were sacrificed," Mr. Ha says. "In that sense, Korea is very much indebted to Canada and this will remain the same for coming generations as well."
The overriding goal of his ambassadorship, says Mr. Ha, is the expansion of economic relations. As part of this, Mr. Ha says he will promote increased exchanges of peoples.
"It is important to have exchange of business peoples, but more important, for the long term perspective we have to have exchange of the young generation," Mr. Ha says. "We have close to 10,000 Canadians teaching English and many young Korean students coming to Canada to study and learn English; for them, Canada is quite a coveted destination."
Mr. Ha and his wife Kim Young Shin have two sons. Their eldest recently graduated from medical school and is interning at a hospital in South Korea and their youngest is serving the country’s compulsory two-year military service.
