Honduran Coffee Captures 15% of Korean Market

“Annyunghaseyo?”

As usual, Ambassador of Honduras Rene Francisco Umana greets a cleaner in the corridor just outside his office in Jongro Tower, downtown Seoul. The cleaner smiles back.

He hops into his car, heading out to the Grand Hilton Hotel in the east of Seoul where he has a lunch appointment. With his driver off for a one-week vacation, he drives, having no problems getting to the hotel.

Though seemingly trivial, such signs show how he is integrating into Korean society. One might say it’s thanks to the seven years he’s lived here, but it isn’t just that. It would not have happened without his fondness for the place.

His contact with Korea ran deeply even before he was appointed as ambassador.

A former businessman, Umana had already visited Korea more than 10 times. He’s had two other postings one in Taiwan and the other in Los Angeles, U.S.A., but terms there were usually three years or less.

Over the years, the ambassador has developed a taste for Korean things. His favorite dish is kimchi stew. “You can find it anywhere,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times.

Umana has learned to use more garlic, a fundamental element in Korean cuisine. When he cooks at home - even non-Korean dishes - he said he would smash in enormous quantities.

The ambassador said he has witnessed the Korean economy improve buildings erected, roads and creeks in Seoul expanded and renovated while gazing at a panoramic landscape of Seoul from his 22nd floor office.

He said he is ready to tell people about Korea when he returns to Honduras, where it exists only in commodities like automobiles, mobile phones and TV sets.

“They know Korea, but they don’t know how Korea is. They still think of the Korean War 50-60 years ago,” the ambassador said.

There is a gap in knowledge between Korea and Honduras, much of which is attributed to geography. The Central American country has a 15-hour time difference with Korea, and traveling there takes at least a full day.

Exchanges exist but are relatively small. In the 1960s (when the Korean government promoted emigration), many Koreans migrated to the region, settling down in various Latin American countries (including Honduras). Now, approximately 800 Koreans live in Honduras, relatively few compared to neighboring countries, the ambassador said.

Diplomatic relationships began in 1962 but only Honduras had an embassy in Seoul. Opening a Korean embassy had always been a priority, Umana said, and with steady efforts by several former Honduran ambassadors including himself, the Korean government opened its embassy there last year.

With support from the new embassy, the ambassador couldn’t be more positive in anticipating boosting economic relations with Korea, attracting investors to Honduras.

Trade surpassed $7 billion in 2006, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Korea exported automobiles, machinery and chemical products while importing coffee and minerals. Honduran coffee accounts for nearly 15 percent of the coffee consumed in Korea annually. Now, the aspiration is not only to hike trade but also to diversify the range of items from electronics and semiconductors.

The ambassador hopes to see more Korean textile companies enter the textile sector. Honduras has set a record for its textile production and exports in the region. It accounts for 60 percent of regional production out of eight Central American countries.

Honduras car accessory assemblies are its greatest source of revenue, and he would welcome Korean investors to join in. Umana reiterated that the investor-friendly environment and a free trade agreement with the United States would bring investors more benefits.

One aspect of the relationship he is quite happy about is educational exchange. A Korean government-sponsored education program provides Honduran students the opportunity to study in Korea every year. Once available only to post-graduate students, the program is now open to people with careers, offering them more exposure to the country. He sees interest among Hondurans growing.

He wishes to disseminate knowledge of Honduras to Koreans. However, what he can do is quite limited due to budget constraints, he said, and yet he takes as many chances as he can to make his country known here, which is why spectators at various festivals in Seoul can often find out information about Honduras.

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