The Peruvian Embassy Tuesday celebrated its 194th anniversary of national independence from colonial Spain, amid deepening integration with Korea.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1963 and a strategic partnership in 2012 on the sidelines of a free trade agreement that came into force that year.

“Our relations have reached the highest level following President Park Geun-hye’s visit to Peru from April 18 to 21, which added new momentum in diverse fields,” said Peruvian Ambassador Jaime Pomareda at a reception at the Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel.

“During her visit, which was accompanied by a trade delegation (representing) 90 Korean companies, 16 agreements were signed in energy, infrastructure, power grid, health care, information communication technology, e-commerce and e-government, among others.”

Upon meeting Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, who served as a military attache to Korea in 2004, Park vowed to bolster bilateral commerce, which has not reached a scope of maturity due to the distance and limited trade items.

Last year, Korea exported $1.4 billion in goods to Peru ― mainly cars, mobile phones and synthetic resins ― and imported $1.43 billion of agricultural food, seafood, zinc, bronze and silver.

Peru, with a population of 31 million, has roughly six times the landmass of Korea. The country is a member of the Latin American trade bloc ― Pacific Alliance ― comprised of Peru, Colombia, Chile and Mexico, with an eye on the Asia-Pacific market.

Currently, some 60 infrastructure development projects in energy, public transport, roads and telecommunications are set to begin in Peru.

Korean companies such as LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, POSCO, SK Energy and Korea National Oil Corporation are operating in infrastructure, energy and manufacturing in Peru, with cumulative investments reaching $4.2 billion last year.

The ambassador underscored a recent $200 million aviation deal through which Peru purchased 20 “KT-1 Woongbi” aircrafts ― single-engine basic training aircraft jointly developed by the Korea Aerospace Industries and the Agency for Defense Development ― from Korea.

As part of the contract, 16 aircrafts will be coproduced in Peru, spurring technology transfer, skills upgrading and industry expansion of Peruvian aviation industry.

On July 27, the Korea Aerospace Industries and Gyeongsang National University in Jinju in southern Korea signed an agreement to grant master’s scholarships to 10 Peruvian aeronautical engineers, who will start studying in August.

The reception showcased Peru’s signature dishes ― ceviche, a raw fish salad marinated in lemon juice and onions; roasted pork belly and marinated pork leg; various desserts; and a cocktail called pisco sour made of lime juice, syrup and egg whites ― which have received growing international attention thanks to active promotion and recipe innovation.

In a report by mineral water brands San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, five Peruvian restaurants were listed in the list of top 15 Latin American restaurants, and two were included in the list of top 50 restaurants around the world. Peru was chosen as the world’s Best Culinary Destination from 2012 to 2014 by the World Travel Award.

Korean tourists to Peru increased by more than half from 2013 to 2014, following entertainment program “Youth Over Flowers,” which was shot in Peru and aired on tvN.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)