Korea Invited to Sri Lanka for Oil Development in Sri Lanka

 


When the Sri Lankan ambassador met his President last month in Colombo with a handful of Korean journalists, he discussed the situation of the oil reserve off Sri Lanka's west coast to the President.

Ambassador Asitha Perera talked about the ``energy diplomacy'' that was seriously taken up by the Korean government, and asked the President to have Korea share one of the six oil blocks that were open to foreign bids.

``It will be beneficial for both countries. That's why I am pushing very hard for Korea to at least have some kind of stake in it. The Sri Lankan government is calling for expressions of interest from interested oil firms, and I want Korean companies to show interest,'' Perera said in an interview with The Korea Times.

It was last year when a joint study by Australia and Norway found an oil reserve in the west coast of Sri Lanka. And the government divided the area into six blocks, two of which have already been given to India and China for exploration and development.

``There is some significant amount of oil,'' the ambassador said but declined to unveil the exact amount in detail.

As the expression of interest expected to be ready any day now, he hopes to meet with the energy-related minister, and wants the Korea National Oil Corporation to be involved.

His fondness for Korea has propelled him to do many other things on top of calling himself, ``Korea's ambassador.''

``I am very impressed by the hardworking Korean people. I think I have a lot to learn from Korea. I am even more interested about the level of patriotism, but I have one regret, which is that the positive aspect of Korea and Koreans are not known enough to the rest of the world and as much as I am Sri Lankan ambassador to Korea, I will endeavor to be a Korea's ambassador,'' Perera said of why he feels a special bond with Korea.

He was among the first groups to visit the families of the Korean missionaries who had been kidnapped by the Taliban last year; he also volunteered at the beaches of Taean, which was devastated by an oil spill.

One thing he does on a regular basis is to go out to ``pojangmacha (street vendors)" and talk to the locals.

When asked about the communication problems he has with language, he said, "At least one or two of them know English, and through them I manage to communicate.''

He finds those conversations very useful and a true reflection of what is going on in Korean society.

``It is a very useful place ― have a quick snack, sitting on a little stool. You can be anybody. You can also get a lot of interesting information from halmonie (old ladies),'' he said.

He also has something to say about the Korean's national fervor for English education.

Sri Lanka now feels the Korean English education wave thousand of kilometers away, as one private Korean travel agency announced it would take over a Sri Lankan hotel in pursuit of opening an English boarding school.

It was earlier this month when ``Chundo Travel'' announced that it took over Sea Spray Hotel on the outskirts of Colombo, the capital. It said it would open ``Honor Club Institute,'' an English institute that will help students prepare to enter colleges in the English-speaking country.

English is a common language in Sri Lanka since it was under the control of the United Kingdom for nearly 130 years until it declared independence in 1948.

In line with Korea's campaign for English education, the ambassador said he supports President Lee Myung-bak's initiative to put priorities on English education in public school.

Perera added an improved command of the language among the general public would make lives of foreigners including himself easier.

But at the same time, he stressed the importance of being ``Korean'' and making efforts to preserve one's identity. ``You must be open to new ideas, but there is an essence of being Korean.''

Citing ``Arirang," a traditional Korean song, he said, ``There are certain things that are inborn about being Korean, and these qualities should not be compromised.'' ``Although I speak English, I am a Sri Lankan,'' he said, stressing the importance of identity.