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| Manuel Goncalves de Jesus, Portuguese ambassador to Korea, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the embassy in Seoul, April 6. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
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| Korea-Portugal celebrates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2021. Courtesy of Embassy of Portugal in Korea |
Portuguese ambassador to Korea, Manuel Goncalves de Jesus, shared the long history between the two countries.
Though the history of modern diplomacy between the two countries has run for 60 years, the beginning of the relationship goes back to the 16th century.
"We are what we are now as a result of what we had been in the past, so understanding the history between the two countries is the beginning," Jesus said in an interview with The Korea Times at the Portuguese Embassy in Seoul, April 6.
"From the moment the maritime route to Asia was opened, the Portuguese wanted to expand their influence. Mainly it was the missionaries who wanted to propagate Christianity, and the Korean society was influenced by the new religion from the West, proven by the number of Christians now."
"Another important area was geography and cartography. The first Western map featuring the Korean Peninsula and the Sea of Korea was made by Portuguese. These maps were very important as Asia was a new world to Europeans back then."
Jesus is an old hand at diplomacy, working for various departments of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and serving as ambassador to East Timor before being named ambassador to Korea in October 2017.
Jesus recalled when he visited Korea for a short time over 30 years ago to meet a friend when he worked as a third secretary at the Embassy of Portugal in Japan.
"It changed a lot. Korea has become a huge economic power, ranked 10th in the world. South Korea's per capita income jumped from less than $10,000 to $30,000 now," the veteran diplomat said.
"At the same time, there are many changes in society. When I was here back in the early 1990s, there was little known about Korean literature, art, cinema or pop culture. Now, even in my country, people have started to read Korean writers such as Han Kang of 'The Vegetarian.'
"When you look at the pandemic, the Korean health system worked so well compared to Europe. These are examples of the differences between not a long time ago and what is now."
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| Seen is a photo of the Portuguese capital Lisbon with Sao Jorge Castle before sunset. Portugal was gaining popularity as a tourist destination among Koreans before it was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. gettyimagesbank |
Trade, cultural exchanges
From the perspective of trade, Korea exports more to Portugal and imports less.
"There are many made-in-Korea cars and mobile phones in Portugal," the ambassador said. "Portugal's major exports to Korea include machinery and equipment as well as pastry and wine."
"There is a little imbalance, but it is compensated by the tourism sector as more Koreans visit Portugal than Portuguese visiting Korea. Tourism is an important sector of the Portuguese economy, accounting for 8.2 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product in 2018."
The ambassador expressed regret over the pandemic marring the budding interest in Portugal as a popular tourist destination among Koreans. In the past, Portugal was mainly known for Fatima, a Catholic pilgrimage site, but the travelers' demand diversified recently.
"Before the pandemic, there was a huge increase of Koreans visiting Portugal in recent years, reaching up to 200,000 in 2019. Portugal was featured in TV programs and the first direct flight to Lisbon was launched in 2019," the ambassador said.
"People visiting Portugal taste Portuguese food, wine and buy souvenirs such as tableware. When they come back, their image of Portugal is changed. We hope you can go back to visit Portugal soon."
The ambassador emphasized the importance of cultural exchange between the two countries.
"If you go back 20 years ago, Portuguese people knew little about Korean literature. Now, more Korean literature is translated into Portuguese and if you ask my daughter in her 20s, she is well versed in Korean writers, musicians and especially cinema," the ambassador said.
"From our side, we have a series of classical Portuguese literature translated into Korean. The most well-known would be Jose Saramago, after him receiving the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature."
The embassy is planning a series of events despite the pandemic to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties. In May, a conference will be held in celebration of the World Portuguese Language Day, which falls May 5.
"Portuguese is the most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere and the day highlights the economical weight and cultural importance of the language. We will host a Portuguese language competition among students, but it is likely to be held online due to the pandemic," Jesus said.
A film festival to be held in collaboration with the Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema and an economic conference also line up, but as virtual editions.
Jesus sees a potential in bilateral cooperation in the field of green economy.
"There are many things to come such as climate change and digitalization. These changes are already in our faces, but will be more crucial in the future. It is about the way we live and survive in the middle of all changes," he said.
"Portugal is doing quite well when it comes to clean energy using wind, hydro and solar. Someday, we are going to make green energy as our main source of energy. The transition is supported by information technology (IT) and Korea can play an important role in IT."
