Spain plans language institute here, sees trade with Korea growing


In Korean society, “hwangap,” the traditional way of celebrating a 60th birthday, means that one has completed a cycle and is starting another one.

“We are starting the second cycle of our diplomatic relations,” Spanish Ambassador Luis Arias-Romero told The Korea Herald.

Diplomatic relations could not be better between both countries with high-level visits conducted on a constant basis and big ones planned for the future such as the visit by Spanish King Juan Carlos I either this year or next.

“After 60 years of diplomatic relations, we are ready to jump to a higher level,” Arias-Romero said.

Both governments have labeled their relationship as a strategic partnership elaborated under the Comprehensive Action Plan which aims to increase trade and investments both ways.

“We have plans to improve our presence in the market, promotional activities, exchange of technical, commercial and investors’ missions,” he said.

That plan became fruitful when bilateral trade skyrocketed by 23 percent. Today, because of the economic crisis that has crippled most economies, bilateral trade declined to $1.1 billion.

Taking into consideration the pre-crisis figures that show trade at over $4 billion, the ambassador believes that those figures in 2008 are modest and needs improvement.

“There is still room for growth,” he said, pointing out that renewable energy is the way of the future for both countries’ trade relationship.

During the past few years, Spain has forged ahead with plans to build concentrated solar and aeolic power plants, establishing the country as one of the most advanced countries in the development of solar energy.

Benefits of bridge building

“There are other ways to cooperate in the economic sector,” he said. “For example, in Latin America, where Korea has its eye, we have a very high and old presence there, and Spain is the leading investor in Latin America.”

For years, Spain has turned a blind eye toward Asia as a viable partner until recently.

That long-term relationship Spain has with Latin American nations at the cost of Asian countries might be considered a hindrance, but for Arias-Romero, that relationship with Latin America can be turned into a positive because both can go hand-in-hand into a continent that has been showing positive signs of growth.

“That is one of our problems. We are very concentrated in Latin America and we are not so involved in other parts of the world like Asia which is the most dynamic part of the world,” he confessed. “But we are balancing that situation.”

Arias-Romero added that Korean firms and agencies are aware that Spain can be a useful partner in Latin America because of their experiences, knowledge of those countries, overall good relations and both speak the same language.

Spanish language

According to “Ethnologue: Languages of the World,” about 330 million people speak Spanish as a native language, making it the world’s second most spoken language in terms of native speakers. Other sources say that the number is far greater hitting over 400 million Spanish speakers worldwide.

Spanish, as an official language, is spoken in 21 countries and is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

It is also growing increasingly popular as a second or third language in a number of countries because of logistical, economic, and touristic interest toward the many nations that use Spanish as their primary language.

Because Spanish is not only the language of Spain but also of most of Latin America, Arias-Romero is hoping that by the end of the economic crisis, the Cervantes Institute, a plan that has been in the works for years, will finally open its doors in Seoul.

Ongoing saga of Cervantes

“In two years, when the worst of the crisis is over, Korea will be the first country to have a Cervantes Institute,” he said. “Now it’s a question of funds.”

In the meantime, Arias-Romero pointed out that a mini Cervantes Institute is operating out of Kyung Hee University.

“Less than two years ago, we decided to open a big Cervantes institute, the political decision came about a month before the discovery of the financial crisis, which was much bigger than expected, so we had to halt our plans,” he said.

The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991 and is the largest organization in the world responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of the Spanish language and culture.

Another challenge both sides are faced with is taxes.

“Because we charge for the courses, the Korean government believes that we have to be subjected to paying local taxes even though we are a non-profit organization,” he said. “I am sure we will solve this issue but that proves that the plans for the institute are still alive.”

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)