“As old friends and allies, Spain and Korea have represented common values,” he said at a reception in Seoul, adding that Spain -- as a cornerstone nation of the European Union -- has steadfastly supported the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“This year we also celebrate the fifth anniversary of the EU-Korea free trade agreement, a win-win endeavor and tool that can be used to tap into our enormous potentials.”

Nevertheless, he added, Spain is concerned about Korea’s nontariff barriers that limit the export of its food and consumer goods into the Korean market.

“We expect a level-playing field where European and Korean firms can compete fairly,” stressed the envoy. “This should apply to the services sector as well as public procurement.”

The Spanish economy is expected to grow by 3.2 percent this year, announced the Bank of Spain in late September, according to Bloomberg. The Madrid-based central bank projected improved forecast for the rest of this year, as the unemployment rate dropped to 20 percent and the country has restored growths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, infrastructure, green energy and agro-industries.

“In recent years, our government has undertaken adequate measures to overcome economic difficulties through financial, tax and labor reforms,” the ambassador said.

Bilateral trade between Spain and Korea topped $5 billion last year, and the two countries have established consortiums in construction, energy and infrastructure projects worldwide, with plans to penetrate third markets, particularly Latin America. 

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Spain achieved “very remarkable” results with a total of 17 medals, including seven gold, four silver and six bronze, Ortiz highlighted. As the host of the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics, Spain has supported Korea’s sports endeavors, he added, citing the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics that happened under the oversight of Juan Antonio Samaranch (1920-2010), the International Olympic Committee president from 1980 to 2001.

Spain -- “a country between Europe and Latin America, a soft power aiming for peace and stronger relations with Korea,” according to the envoy -- is one of the top European destinations visited by Koreans. Last year, over 310,000 Koreans travelled there “attracted by its security, history, food and nature,” the diplomat said.

The picturesque coastal city of San Sebastian in northern Spain, facing the Atlantic Ocean, has been named one of the European Cultural Capitals this year, along with Poland’s Wroclaw.

Ortiz recommended “Camino de Santiago,” known in English as “St. James’s Way,” pilgrimage routes to the shrine of apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain.

“Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage of nature, comradeship, fiesta, culture and gastronomy,” he said. “Koreans love all of it. I also want to mention the Tomato Festival of Bunol in Valencia, which is similarly celebrated in Dalseong County close to Daegu.”

This year also marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Spanish literary giant Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), considered the country’s greatest writer who produced the timeless classic “Don Quixote.”

“The Korean people are very quixotic and devoted to their ideals,” Ortiz asserted. “At the same time they have the acute and practical sense of Sancho Panza,” a fictional character in ‘Don Quixote’ who acts as a squire to his master and provides comments throughout the novel. 

Spanish gastronomy is increasingly appreciated here, he underlined, with more and more Korean chefs learning Spanish cuisine in places like the Basque Culinary Center.

“Through the promotion of our tapas -- a wide variety of appetizers and snacks in Spanish cuisine, similar to the ‘banchan’ in Korean gastronomy -- wine and delicatessen, we expect our foods to be more incorporated into the Korean dining culture.”

Noting that many Koreans are passionate about music and dance, with the country’s opera, ballet, classical music and modern dance enjoying high international reputation, Ortiz said Spanish tenor and conductor Placido Domingo held a concert in Seoul on Oct. 2 with Korean artists, his fifth performance in Korea since 1991.

In fine art, museums such as the Michuhol Art Center in Incheon has exhibited works of Spanish virtuosos, including Picasso, Antonio Gaudi and Joan Miro.

Borrowing words from Bartomeu Mari, director of Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art located south of Seoul, the envoy said, “Fine art and architecture are areas where Spain and Korea can cooperate more deeply in the future.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)