The Colombian Embassy celebrated the country’s 205th anniversary of national independence and 53 years of diplomatic ties with Korea in a reception at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Tuesday, which was jazzed up by vivacious Latin music.

“El Combosabroso,” a quintet of three Colombian and two Korean musicians, played salsa, merengue and bachata, which was met by the elated dancing of 2015 Colombian Carnival Queen Felfle Fernandez de Castro and other guests.

“Our relations go beyond formalisms that characterize international relations, and embody a sincere spirit of unity, fraternity and loyalty,” Colombian Ambassador Tito Saul Pinilla told The Korea Herald. “Despite our far distance and different languages and cultures, our two nations enjoy solidarity, adhesion and brotherhood.” 

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1962, the bilateral ties have grown steadily, reaching a strategic partnership in 2011.

Colombia dispatched 5,204 soldiers to the Korean War (1950-53) as the only South American country of 16 participating nations. The war for Korea’s freedom and democracy killed 245 Colombians and wounded 557.

“Similar to Korea trying to achieve national unification, Colombia faces grave challenges in achieving peace with the FARC guerilla group, which has destabilized our nation for over five decades,” the ambassador said.

“As we are fighting a subversive menace that aims to overthrow our democratic government, Korea’s experience in managing peace and security on the peninsula can be a valuable guide for us.”

Pinilla added that Korea’s ability to integrate North Korean refugees would provide guidance for Colombia, as it tries to socially include some 20,000 former guerillas and other groups that were once “at the fringes of the law,” through the peace deal with FARC.

The peace process, in which victim compensation and conflict resolution remain to be completed, has decreased massacres, kidnappings, disappearances and displacements to historically low levels, according to The Economist.

Following President Park Geun-hye’s visit to Colombia in April, Korea has pledged to financially support rehabilitating Colombian soldiers and victims of armed conflicts.

Colombia is a member of the Latin American trade bloc Pacific Alliance, comprised of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. As a counterpart to the Mercosur trade alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, the Pacific Alliance aims to increase economic linkages with Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Australian and ASEAN markets.

The ambassador stressed that there is plenty of room to expand bilateral commerce as the trade structure is highly complementary and the Colombian market is growing rapidly at over 4 percent yearly, with rising middle classes.

Colombia exports agricultural produce, natural resources and primary manufactured goods to Korea, while Korea sends electronic and automotive products to Colombia.

Colombian exports to Korea ― mainly coal, coffee, ferronickel, metallurgy and basic chemicals ― increased by 22 percent in 2014 from the previous year, reaching $520 million. Korean exports amounted to $1.5 billion, one-third of it from the automotive sector.

The bilateral free trade agreement, signed in February 2013, is awaiting Colombian constitutional approval before entering into force.

“In football terms, we have finished the first half of getting to know each other and becoming familiar with our business environments,” Pinilla highlighted. “It is now time to materialize the opportunities we have identified at governmental and institutional levels.”

More than 40 Korean companies operate in Colombia, making Korea the second-largest Asian investor in the country after Japan. Cumulative Korean investment has reached $176 million over the last 10 years.

With more than 10 million cultivable hectares, Colombia has large potential for mass food production, vying to be the “pantry of the world,” according to the embassy.

Pinilla pointed to growing educational exchanges between the two countries, as more Colombian students are choosing Korea as a university education destination. Fifty low-income students from Colombia will start studying in Korea next year, many in engineering, through scholarships provided by 10 Korean universities.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)