Diplomatic relations between Myanmar and the Republic of Korea were forged in 1975, and shaped by historic events, that have become deeper over the years. In the 1990s, with the Korean wave, or the spread of Korean art and culture in Asia, Korean movie series began attracting Myanmar audiences. K-pop also influenced Myanmar youths.
Through Korean movies, Myanmar people have become familiar with the Korean language and became accustomed to Korean cuisine, customs, landscape, and daily life. At the same time, Myanmar people have envied the economic development in Korea.
ROK– Republic of Korea ranks fourth in Asia in terms of economic development, and 11th in the world. After World War II, the Republic of Korea, despite political struggles, has seen large-scale development, driven by industrial exports since 1962. Between 1962 and 1994, her economy grew 10 per cent on average yearly.
The economic development of ROK post World War II has been globally touted as the “Miracle on the Han River”, and has been considered comparable to the development of Germany.
In the 1960s, ROK was a typical developing country with poor natural resources, low production, and a small domestic market. By following an outward-looking development strategy and other policies, she has transformed herself from an agriculture-intensive economy into one of the world’s most dynamic industrial economies in 40 years.
Korean brands such as LG, Samsung, Hyundai, and Daewoo have become popular across the world, and development in ROK has been rising with a well-educated and well-disciplined labour force, and technological innovation.
The Republic of Korea is a good friend of Myanmar. The Myanmar Saemaul Undong Project has been replicated from Korea’s new village project, which played an important role in the development of Korea.
Besides, the Korea-Myanmar Friendship Bridge over the Yangon River, and the KMIC Industrial Project, which can create 50,000 to 100,000 job opportunities, reflect the friendship between Korea and Myanmar. Out of 49 countries which have investments in Myanmar, ROK ranks as the 6th.
Up to April 2019, 170 Korean businesses have invested in Myanmar, with a total investment of over US$3.9 billion, which has mostly flowed into the production sector. The Republic of Korea has developed with momentum and Myanmar has scope for development. Bilateral cooperation and trade between the two countries have spiralled upwards, and the friendship between their people has developed and strengthened. We are confident that the friendship and cooperation in all sectors would remain on the current trajectory in the future and benefit the people of the two nations.-GNLM
