Mexican Ambassador Jose Luis Bernal lauded diplomatic ties between his country and South Korea during a reception celebrating Mexico’s 204th Independence Day in Seoul on Monday.

“Our bilateral trade exceeds $15 billion per year. There are more than 1,600 Korean companies in Mexico, the most recent of which is the decision by KIA to establish an automobile production plant which was announced just two weeks ago and which comes to join other big projects of KORES, KEPCO, POSCO, Samsung, LG and many other Korean companies,” Bernal said.

Many executives from those companies took part in the reception, which showcased Mexican food, music and dance. South Korea is Mexico’s sixth-largest trade partner. 

“We can proudly say that, in the last few decades, Mexicans have overcome previous underdevelopment levels. … And, for this, we certainly followed many paths similar to the process of transformation lived in Asia and particularly in the Republic of Korea,” he said.

Bilateral relations between Mexico and South Korea have spiked in recent years, with exchanges by high-level government and business officials being an area that the ambassador chose to underline during the reception.

For example, President Park Geun-hye and Mexican President Pena Nieto met twice in their first year in office and the foreign ministers of Mexico and South Korea held discussions four times in the same period.

The two countries convened the fifth meeting of their bilateral consultation committee in Mexico City on Wednesday. Mexican Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos de Icaza and Vice Minister Cho Tae-yong led their respective delegations in those talks.

(ephilip2014@heraldcorp.com)