The Guatemalan Embassy held a reception on Monday to mark the 194th anniversary of independence from colonial Spain and growing economic ties with Korea.
Guatemala held a “transparent and peaceful” general election on Sept. 6 to choose the next batch of leaders, following former President Otto Perez Molina’s resignation on Sept. 3 after he was charged with corruption.
“With pride, Guatemalan citizens have made important contributions to our country’s stability by replacing the (former) president and appointing our 49th President ― Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre,” Guatemalan Ambassador Gustavo Lopez said in a speech at Seoul Grand Hyatt.
The ambassador highlighted that the electoral process was guaranteed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and backed by the government, observation missions and the international community. Maldonado, 79, will serve the remainder of his term as an Acting President until Jan. 14 next year.
Guatemalan Ambassador Gustavo Lopez. Joel Lee / The Korea Herald
Guatemala and Korea established diplomatic ties in 1962. Korea’s 1st Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong visited Guatemala in May to participate in the third bilateral meeting and the 12th Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation between Korea and countries of the Central America Integration System (SICA) ― Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic.
Six Central American countries ― Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama ― and Korea will enter the first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement on Sept. 21. Guatemala and Korea became the regional coordinators for the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in August at the 7th Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
“When we talk about Guatemala, many people envision the ancient Mayan civilization, high-quality coffee sold at Starbucks or world-famous Guatemalan rainbow garments known as Huipil,” said Park Sang-hoon, Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director general of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs.
“As a vital presence in Central America, Guatemala is not only Korea’s valued friend but also an important partner for cooperation.”
Park Sang-hoon, Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director general of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs. Joel Lee / The Korea Herald
Some 5,000 Koreans and 13,000 ethnic Koreans live in Guatemala, mostly in the capital Guatemala City. The Korean diaspora is one of the newest and fastest-growing Korean communities in Latin America. The first immigrants came in 1985 after mass immigration to Latin America began two decades earlier. They engaged in the textile business and set up garment factories for export to the United States.
Currently, some 150 Korean companies, mostly in the textile business, operate in Guatemala, creating jobs for the locals and contributing to the country’s export. A Korea Town and Seoul Avenue were created in Guatemala City this year.
By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)
