“This anniversary and Korea’s relations with the Kurdistan Region are very important for us,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said in a speech during the event, entitled “20 Years of Friendship from Zaytun, towards Prosperity.”
The Zaytun Division, which consisted of thousands of Korean troops, arrived in the Kurdistan Region in 2004, one year after the fall of the Baathist regime.
Barzani said that South Korea’s diplomatic ties with Iraq date back to the eighties but Seoul did not have any relations with Erbil until two decades ago.
“When the first military team from South Korea, named Zaytun Division, was stationed in Erbil to support the Kurdistan Region, it marked the first step and the beginning of bilateral relations. The South Korean troops, following the liberation of Iraq, have taken part in the global coalition,” President Barzani noted, referring to the US-led global alliance against the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
“South Korea’s mission in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, has not been limited to military and economy but has also included humanitarian and peacebuilding efforts,” stated the Kurdish president.
The Zaytun Division and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have successfully constructed more than 250 facilities in the Kurdistan Region, including 59 schools, 15 public health centers, the Zaytun hospital, the Zaytun library, the establishment of the Kurdistan Institute of Public Administration (KIPA) and e-procurement system, according to an op-ed by former consul general Choi Kwang-Jin published on Rudaw English in 2020.
“KOICA agency provided so much service and it continues providing the services. It played a key role in the renovation of more than 60 schools, 15 medical centers, and Zaytun hospital and library,” Barzani highlighted.
He said their bilateral ties remain friendly and strong, thanking Seoul for the support.
“We desire and are ready to further broaden and enhance mutual cooperation between us in all fields based on mutual interest,” he noted.
Kurdish and Korean music was played at the event, and Seungcheol Lim, Korean consul general to Erbil, sang the Kurdish song "Baran Barane" to the audience.
Sungsoo Choi, Korea’s ambassador to Iraq, said in a speech at the event that his government has a “special bond of friendship” with the Kurdistan Region.
“The strong foundation which was laid and similarity over our culture and history brought us to a level where we call ‘two friends.’ This momentous occasion is not just a celebration of two decades of relations, but also a testimony to the remarkable collaboration and mutual respect that have defined our partnership,” he said, adding that Korea has shown its “unwavering” support for the Kurdistan Region in the last two decades.
A number of South Korean companies operate in the Kurdistan Region, including electronics giants LG and Hyundai and Kia Motors in the automotive industry.
In 2016, South Korea upgraded its diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region from an embassy office to a consulate, and has since 2015 provided donations to the IDPs and refugees in the Region.
When coronavirus spread in the Kurdistan Region in 2020, Seoul provided testing kits to Erbil. The country has also trained 1,500 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials in Korea.
