–new Korean Ambassador
GUYANA has attracted the interest of the Republic of Korea at the level of the government and business community owing to the negotiations which President Bharrat Jagdeo initiated during his visit to Korea in 2010. This disclosure was made by newly accredited Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Guyana, Kim Joo-teck, who presented his Letters of Credence to President Jagdeo yesterday at the Office of the President, replacing his predecessor Won-Sun Choi, who was accredited two years ago.
Ambassador Kim, a Harvard, Cambridge and Massachusetts University graduate is hoping to further tout the encouraging level of relations between the two countries during his tenure in Guyana, citing cooperation projects in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and agriculture.  
“These areas are of personal interest to President Jagdeo…Many countries around the world including some Latin American and Caribbean countries are working to establish e-government infrastructure with the support of the Korean Government, so these days modern countries and societies may need to improve better infrastructure for ICT… to be well connected with the rest of the world,” Ambassador Kim explained.

In July last year, a delegation comprising representatives from various public and private sector agencies in the Republic of Korea, met President Jagdeo during a visit to Guyana as they brainstormed investment possibilities.

The team was led by Director General of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau in Korea’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, Choo Jonh Youn, who told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that possibilities were spotted in the mining, fisheries and agriculture sectors.

President Jagdeo had stimulated the interest of Korean investors when he met with a group while in Seoul last year for the Business for the Environment (B4E) summit after receiving the UNEP ‘Champion of the Earth’ award.

The investors, among whom were members of the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) and its Chairman Lee Ju-tae, were told by the Guyanese leader of Guyana’s interest in Korean businesses participating in the development of national projects to boost mutual cooperation between the two countries.

He promised them that Guyana is prepared to welcome foreign businesses that invest in the development of resource mining and entrepreneurship and made reference to Guyana’s oil fields, natural gases and oil drilling plans by international oil companies.

In 2005, Guyana and the Republic of Korea signed an agreement for the promotion and protection of investments. Signatories to the accord were the then Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Mr. Clement Rohee and former Korean Ambassador Mr. Shin Shoong Chull.
The agreement was aimed at setting the stage for Guyana to seek investment opportunities in Korea.