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SRI LANKA TO EMULATE KOREA’S GROWTH MODEL FOR RECOVERY

Sri Lanka is interested in adopting Korea’s growth model to revive its war-torn economy, External Affairs Minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris said.

The country is also looking for a quick and balanced recovery using Korea’s proven technologies in construction, power generation and communications, the foreign minister said, asking for aggressive investment by Korean firms.

The country is struggling to rejuvenate its sagging economy and crippled infrastructure as a result of years of war with the ethnic insurgent group, widely known as the Tamil Tigers, which ended in 2009.

“There are many things we can learn from Korea’s growth experience,” said Minister Peiris in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul. “We would like to emulate the ‘Saemaul Undong’ movement because it was about uplifting a rural economy.”

Saemaul Undong was a pan-national modernization campaign initiated by the late former Korean President Park Chung-hee in the 1970s. It dramatically improved the living conditions of people in Korea’s rural areas. Many African countries, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Cameroon, look to adopt the indigenous modernization campaign.

“Korea has seen a tremendous development with it. We would like to emulate it for rural prosperity,” said Peiris.

He also cited the “combination of a hard-working spirit, self-confidence and unwavering efforts to reach the targeted goal of action” as the recipe for Korean’s rise from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Arriving in Seoul Wednesday for a three-day stay, the Sri Lankan minister met with Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and other ranking officials, discussing a wide range of bi-lateral issues, including business cooperation.

One of the key purposes of his third visit here was to seek the Korean government’s support to establish facilities teaching Korean to Sri Lankan people.

Many Sri Lankan people look for jobs in Korea due to the higher salary than firms at home. Roughly 23,000 Sri Lankan people work at mostly factories here.

Amid growing demand for migrant workers, Seoul has decided to allow the employment of 15,000 Sri Lankan nationals at Korean firms under the Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2012, up from 7,300 for this year.

The slots have yet been filled due to a lack of applicants who pass the Korean proficiency test, a precondition for employment under the EPS.

“The Korean government showed interest in helping,” the minister said after having a meeting with his Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan. With the support, Sri Lanka plans to establish a school of Korean studies in the University of Colombo, a prestigious Sri Lankan university.

The Korean foreign Minister also promised to increase the number of volunteer workers teaching Korean in his country and to establish the King Sejong Institute to promote Korean culture there.

He discussed with Korean aviation officials a proposal to create a direct flight route linking the two countries in an effort to boost the tourism industry. Currently, South Korean travelers visiting Sri Lanka must go via Singapore or Bangkok. - The Korea Times
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