KARACHI, April 4: The consul-general of the Republic of Korea, Sukehul Chang, has said that Pakistan’s rich natural resources and well-trained manpower and advanced technical know-how of his country can work miracles in economic development of both the countries.

Speaking at a dinner, organised by the Pakistan-Korea Friendship Society (PKFS), here on Tuesday, the Korean envoy stressed the need for closer cooperation between the business communities of both the countries which could be blended by skills and technology of his country with untapped rich natural resources of Pakistan.

Despite the fact that the Korean community in Pakistan has made enormous advancement in joint ventures in business, there was still a lot more to be done for greater achievements, he said, adding that the people of his country are also contributing a lot towards humanitarian works by providing healthcare services and generously contributing towards the earthquake victims.

As far as Pakistan-Korea friendship is concerned, Mr Chang said it traces back to the 4th century, when the Venerable Marananta of the Ghandhara region in Pakistan introduced Buddhism to the Korean Kingdom of Baekje. In the 8th century, he said Buddhist Monk Hyecho from the Unified Silla Kingdom travelled to Pakistan and left a travelogue.

In contemporary times, he said, bilateral relations between Pakistan and Korea developed gradually to our mutual benefits in political, economic and cultural spheres since our diplomatic relations were established in November 1983.

As for as commercial trend, the bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Korea reached almost to the amount of $ 1 billion in 2005-06, for the first time in our trade history.

He disclosed that during city nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal’s visit to Korea in December last year, Karachi and Incheon city agreed in principle to establish a sistership within this year, which is to be activated in the coming months through a visit by the mayor of Incheon city to Karachi.

Furthermore, he said Sammi Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service has decided to open its new route between Karachi and Hyderabad in June this year.

In his address of welcome, PKFS president M Iqbal Mangrani appreciated Korean community’s contribution towards different spheres, including healthcare, business activity and assistance given to earthquake victims.

He said that the PKFS which was founded in the year 1980 has passed the silver jubilee mark with remarkable success.

He said for many of us present here it may be news that a full fledged hospital is being run by a Korean NGO in the down-trodden area of Orangi. Mr Mangrani said Korean doctors and nurses are working in this hospital and very nominal charges are taken from patients who are mostly poor.

He said that great Smartian Hospital in Korangi is working under the guidance of Dr Cho who had been living in Pakistan for last seven years and tendering his services to poor and down-trodden.

The PKFS chief said there are indeed a lot of opportunities for Korean firms to invest in Pakistan for mutual advantage. South Korea, he said, is indeed a role model for developing countries, like Pakistan, therefore, we should learn form their experience and benefit from their advancement.

He said there exists tremendous scope in the IT field in Korea, which is mostly captured by professionals from India, numbering around 10,000, whereas in Pakistan people in general are unaware of big demand for IT professionals in Korea and instead concentrate on American and European countries.