“Blood Brothers!” This is the expression that Korean and Ethiopian officials use when they talk about the relationship between their countries. These words also aptly describe the bond that Ethiopian veterans of the Korean War share with their Korean brothers in arms. It must be said that since then, Ethiopians have been present in South Korea. One thousand Ethiopians live in the country known as the Land of Morning Calm, stated the weekly French magazine, Le Point.
Ethiopia is one of twenty-one United Nations member countries to respond to the National Security Council’s call for military assistance when South Korea was invaded by North Korea. The decision of the then Ethiopian King Emperor Haile Selassie was motivated by the desire to defend “international justice, world peace, and humanity,” said Bekuma Merdassa, Minister Counselor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Seoul.
Stemming from the Emperor’s consciousness of collective security responsibilities, the country dispatched an infantry battalion, consisting of 6,037 soldiers to stop the North Korean offensive.
During the clashes in Korea, the Ethiopian troops honored the name given to them by Haile Selassie: “Kagnew is a very powerful word in Amharic. This is the Emperor’s mission order. Kagnew means Fight for peace, don’t surrender,” says Bekuma Merdassa.
The Kagnew Battalion is mainly composed of members of the Imperial Guard. They fought mainly in the mountainous parts under the command of the American forces. They took part in 253 battles and were never defeated,” said the minister-counselor adding, “only 121 men died and nearly 500 were injured, but they never gave up.”
Ethiopia’s contribution to the Korean War is commemorated in a number of sites, including the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul. But South Korea has decided to go further in sharing this shared history. In 2007, it opened a memorial center entirely dedicated to Ethiopians.
A week ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed laid a wreath at the Seoul National Cemetery reserved for Korean veterans during his first visit to South Korea.
South Korea and Ethiopia have had diplomatic relations for 66 years now. The relations have been particularly strengthened over the past 20 years. In terms of recognition of Ethiopia, many initiatives have been and are being implemented by Korea. Since 1996, the government and private agencies have been, for example, providing financial support to the surviving Ethiopian veterans. Their descendants are also eligible for scholarships.
In fact, South Korea has been hugely contributing not only to the development of Ethiopia but also of Africa, through its Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), established in 1991 as a governmental organization for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enhance the effectiveness of its grant aid programs, stated Dr. Messay Mulugeta, Associate Professor of Socioeconomic Development Planning and Environment at College of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University on World Economy Brief, recently.
KOICA has formulated and put in place Country’s Development Strategy (CPS) with 7 priority partner countries in Africa such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania.
Specific to Ethiopia, data from the National Planning Commission (NPC) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) of Ethiopia show that the support of the government of South Korea through its Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) and KOICA is of the essence to Ethiopian economic transformation, particularly for the current transformative leadership under PM Abiy Ahmed.
Ethiopia and South Korea have signed five cooperation agreements as part of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s two-day state visit to Korea.
The two leaders also reached consensus on elevating the Ethio-South Korea relations to a strategic partnership. Following the bilateral talks, the two leaders presided over the signing of five agreements,” the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
According to the Ethiopian PM’s office, the five cooperation accords that were signed include a memorandum of understanding on mutual waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports, memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a joint ministerial commission as well as memorandum of understanding on cooperation relating to standardization, certification, conformity assessment and technical regulation.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreement in the presence of the leaders of both countries.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, the two nations will hold a session every two years with a focus on discussing how to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including politics, business, consular affairs, culture, technology, education and science.
As part of the agreement signed on Monday, 26 august, 2019, Ethiopia secured USD 86 Million in the form of loan which intended to fund the construction of research centers at Adama Science and Technology University, according to Yonhap News Agency report.
The two countries have also identified trade, investment, development cooperation, forestry and the environment as potential areas for a mutually beneficial, substantive cooperation which was discussed during a leadership summit of the two countries in Seoul on Monday.
Abiy Ahmed expressed his feeling that Ethiopia, like many other African countries, is inspired by the South Korean model of development.
Speaking at the opening of the leadership summit, South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s passion and efforts for promoting peace in the region.
The Ethiopian Herald September 3, 2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
