Achi news desk-
FAISALABAD – Korean Ambassador Park Kijun said on Thursday that serious efforts would be made to improve direct trade between Faisalabad and Korea.
Addressing the business community at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), he said that Faisalabad was the textile hub of Pakistan. He said that bilateral cooperation in the sector would be further enhanced in the coming years. He particularly identified agriculture, textiles, energy and IT and said that these sectors have the potential to increase cooperation for the benefit of both countries.
He said Korean business people fully understood the potential and hoped they would take advantage of it by improving investment and technical cooperation. He was optimistic that Pakistan would soon emerge as a major player in Southwest Asia due to its economic growth and social development. He said that the FCCI should play a key role in improving bilateral trade between Faisalabad and Korea, while the Korean embassy would also support these efforts. He said that the relationship between the Korean embassy and the FCCI would be further strengthened to give a quantum leap to bilateral trade.
Regarding the short stay period on multiple visas, he promised to resolve the issue in consultation with the president of FCCI. He also assured to share the Korean experience of SMEs with Faisalabad so that this sector could make tremendous progress in this field. She said that women’s empowerment is a universal global issue; however, “we would also look into it to include Pakistani women in the national mainstream”.
He said that Pakistani mangoes are being exported to Korea and Pakistani exporters would get more orders for exporting the particular Pakistani delicacy. Regarding the import of Korean dyes and chemicals, he said “our quality products are relatively costly compared to Chinese products”. However, he hoped that Korean companies would once again take interest in the Pakistani market and reclaim it with innovative marketing moves.
Earlier, FCCI President Dr Khurram Tariq welcomed the Korean ambassador and his team. He also introduced Faisalabad and FCCI and cited his first meeting with His Excellency where special emphasis was placed on the exchange of cultural delegations. He said 25 leading Korean companies are working in Pakistan, while a hydroelectric power project has also been carried out in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with an estimated cost of $1b. He said a state-of-the-art Technical Textile Center has also been established at NTU with the help of Korea. He said the biggest Korean investment in Faisalabad is the Nishat Hyundai assembly plant at FIEDMC. Maqsood Akhtar Butt, Arif Ihsan Malik, Ms Najma Afzal and others exchanged views with the ambassador on various issues.
Later Executive Member Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry proposed a vote of thanks while President Dr Khurram Tariq along with Vice President Hajji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli presented FCCI shield to South Korean ambassador Park Kijun. The ambassador also presented gifts to Dr Khurram Tariq and Haji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli. He also recorded his impressions in the FCCI visitors’ book.
