The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, with his small trade delegation, yesterday visited Jeonbuk State as part of his mission to meet with potential Korean investors on the margins of the APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM).
During the visit, Minister Maru met with the Governor, Kim Kwan-young, to discuss ways for cooperation between Jeonbuk State and Papua New Guinea (PNG), especially in the agriculture sector.
Jeonbuk State is considered the “agriculture state” of South Korea due to its role as a major agricultural producer, its fertile plains, and its status as a hub for agricultural research and development. It is a leading producer of crops like rice and barley and is home to key national research institutions and major agri-food companies.
Minister Maru indicated to the Governor that PNG and Korea needed to deepen its relationship, which had not been developed over the last 49 years.
“We celebrate 50 years of bilateral relationship between our two countries next year, and it would make sense for us to celebrate some major announcements or projects as we go into new 50 years. We want to see Korea investing in PNG and providing technical assistance and development aid to increase its visibility in PNG,” said Minister Maru.
Governor Kwan-young in response said Jeonbuk State was keen to contribute to the sustainable agricultural development of PNG specifically on infrastructure and technological capabilities and hoped to expand the cooperation to various fields such as education, culture and sports.
Minister Maru and delegation visited a soy bean farm and met with the President of Korean Soybean Self-help Corporation, Mr. Su Yong Jang, and also visited the state-of-the-art chicken factory of Harim Holdings Co. Ltd, which is a dominant force in Korea’s poultry industry and the largest producer of chicken.
Minister Maru said: “The Soybean Self-help Corporation is keen on training Papua New Guineans in commercial soybean farming and Harim Holdings Co. Ltd indicated their keen interest in exploring the opportunity of investing in PNG. Both companies said that in order for them to invest in PNG, they will need the support of the Korean Government through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). This is timely with the recent announcement of KOICA opening an office in PNG which will encourage Korean companies to invest in PNG across various sectors and the Korean Government providing development assistance in aid and technical cooperation through KOICA. I am grateful that Korea is now stepping up to deepen the relationship as we look forward to celebrating 50 years of bilateral relationship between PNG and Korea next year.”