A Diplomat & Sales Person Promoting One’s Homeland in Korea

An e-mail was sent to the Embassy of Latvia requesting for an interview with Ambassador Vaivars. There was a reply  two hours after the e-mail was sent. “Our Ambassador is more than glad to accept your interview offer.” It took only four days from the moment the e-mail was sent to actually meet the Ambassador for the interview! I realized why Ambassador Vaivars called himself a competent sales person.  

The whole area of Han-Nam Dong, Yong-San Gu, Seoul is where nearly 20 embassies in Korea are placed closely. The Embassy, which remodeled a private house had a clean exterior wall painted in white that particularly stood out. On the roof of the Embassy was a blue EU flag and a Latvian Red colored Latvian flag which were fluttering in great harmony.   
It has been about 12 months since they moved to this place from a building in Gang-Nam, and two months since renovation and remodeling was completed. Deputy Head of Mission, Olegs Ilgis said, “Probably our Embassy is the newest among the diplomatic missions in Korea” while welcoming the reporters with a smile. We began the interview with Ambassador Vaivars in a room which was served as a library and reception room where one side of the wall was filled with materials about Latvia.

Q. There are so many Koreans who are still unfamiliar with Latvia.
It is absolutely right that the knowledge about Latvia is extremely limited as we reappeared in the international community after regaining the independence in 1991 from the occupation by the Soviet Union. Latvia was amongst the richest countries in Europe before the Soviet occupation in 1940. It had the tenth highest GDP per capital in Europe, ahead of Italy and Spain and was among European leaders with development in terms of industrialization, agriculture and socialization.
I think diplomacy is more about people to people contact rather than country to country contact. The relationship is built through people to people contact through visiting each other. In this way, Latvia is not so unfamiliar to Koreans diplomatically. Do you know the popular song titled ‘Million roses’ by Sim Soo-Bong? In Korea, it is known as a Russian song. However, it is a song written by a Latvian composer named Raimonds Pauls. (Here, he showed us the original version of the song in YouTube through his smartphone). Pauls used to be a Minister of Culture and there are many Koreans who know him by his name but they do not have the linkage that he is coming from Latvia.
Also, Latvians have a lots of achievements in terms of culture, arts and sports. Mariss Jansons and Andris Nelsons are among the top five best conductors in the world. Violinist Gidon Kremer, Cellist Mischa Maisky, and Soprano Elina Garanca are also Latvians. Famous ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and art painter Mark Rothko in America are known to be originating from the Soviet Union but they are actually from Latvia. We have certified athletes such as Martins Dukurs who competed with Sung-Bin Yun for golden medal during PyeongChang Olympics and Kristaps Porzingis of New York Knicks, professional basketball team in America.

Just like this, there are so many Latvians actively involved in the international stage. However, it is too bad that they are not actually well-known to Korean. But at the same time, he showed his desire of wanting to promote Latvia saying, “Our main task was to promote Latvia to the wider extent.”
During two months of January and February, the Ambassador had an exceedingly busy schedule with preparation of various events. There was a Launching Ceremony of Picture book The Discovery That Never Was by the children’s writer Mārtiņš Zutis at the Embassy on the 30th of January. There is a children’s book exhibition “In the Magic Forest” opened from 6th of February at the national library for children and young adults, showcasing the works by Margarita Staraste, a Latvian author and illustrator of children’s books. On 13th of February, President Raimonds Vejonis visited Korea and met with the Korean President. The business forum was held the following day to attract investors to Latvia.

Q. The Embassy of Latvia in Korea was opened in September 2015. I would have been good if it could be open earlier. 
This is a very good question (laughs). When Soviet Union collapsed, the economy and social system was totally destroyed. We had to start everything from scratch again. In order to protect our security and to promote economic development, we joined Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and European Union in 2004 to accelerate the growth.  
The territory of Latvia is 64,589km2 which is two-third of Republic of Korea, but the population is much smaller which is only 2 million. In order to run an embassy, diplomates have to be dispatched, buildings have to be rented, the staffs have to be employed, equipment has to be bought and etc. These things are quite expensive. Therefore, Latvia is step by step increasing the diplomatic presence. Following the expansion of exchange with Asian countries, the embassies were opened in Korea, India and Arab Emirates. Until this time, the embassy of Latvia in Japan was taking care of works in Korea. Currently, I am holding additional post for Malaysia and Singapore.  

Q. Is it not difficult to take three parts of the role at once? 
Here in Korea, there are only two diplomats. Two diplomats have to do massive and different works including public diplomacy, social network, cultural aspects, security, protocol, organizing events and so on. That is how we are able to have broader outlook and background knowledge. Diplomats are asked to do something under conditions which are not perfect. I think a diplomat is the most dynamic and challenging occupation. 
My day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at midnight. Every day is Monday. As it is known, diplomats leave away from their own home and away from their friends. However, I meet new contact every day and different schedule is waiting for me every day. These differences are energizer for my life. I try to be physical fit as much as possible. I completed eight full marathons course of 42km in my life until now. Last year, I also participated Seoul international marathon and completed running 10km. Recently, I was unable to run marathon because I was busy with remodeling of the embassy and preparation of events but I still try to go to gym at least two times a week.    

2018 is a significant year of Latvia’s centennial anniversary of Independence. On 18th of November 1918, with the end of the First World War Latvia declared independence with the start of the civil revolution from the rule of Imperial Russia. Since then, it has achieved rapid industrial, cultural and educational growth with the agricultural land reforms. However, as World War II erupted, Latvia was again dominated by the Soviet Union in June 1940, and was then occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941. In 1944, it was re-occupied by the Soviet Union and became an independent state in 1991. The Soviet Union was dividing the world into to two with United States, however its collapse did not only bring a huge change in world history but also in the life of Ambassador Vaivars.

Q. Most of the ambassadors that Tomorrow had interviewed, studied International Relations or Law. However, it is interesting that you specialized in physics and mathematics.
I was born in a normal Latvian family in 1963. Because Latvia was under Soviet rule, words like independence and freedom were taboos. However, my family taught me with the hope that ‘one day, Latvia will become independent’. Especially my grandmother who was a natural science and biology teacher taught me a lot.
The general level of literacy in Baltics was very high. The Soviet Union did not restrict foreign literatures, so a lot of foreign works were translated and distributed freely. I read a lot of books. I was a lot interested in engineering, so I became a computer engineer after graduating from a school specializing in physics and mathematics. As the Soviet Union collapsed, a new government was formed and a lot of workers were needed to build the country. The remuneration was low, but many young talented people volunteered to join the state government service. There were a lot of mistakes, trial and failures while working due to lack of basic work manuals and materials, however we learned a lot in the process.

Q. Could you summarize your past two years in Korea? And please give some advice to the young readers of Tomorrow.
I still remember when I first arrived in Korea with just few suitcases. It was empty, we looked for the embassy building, set up the work system, went to corporations, schools and government offices to promote Latvia… Thanks to this, the number of Korean tourists who visits Latvia recently increased by about 10,000 per year. It was around 1000 per year 6-7 years ago. The trade volume between the two countries is also steadily increasing by 20-50% annually. It is about 100 million euros per year, which is seven times more than 7-8 years ago. In addition, we would like to plan a cooperation between Latvian Investment and Development Agency and Gyeonggi Province by signing MOU to support IT and start-up companies.
I encourage Tomorrow readers to visit Latvia in person rather than reading about Latvia through books. The old city of the capital, Riga is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is full of fantastic medieval architecture and I am confident that its beauty takes its place beside Paris. More than half of the territory is occupied by natural views such as lakes, rivers and forests, and the sandy beach of the Baltic coast reaches 500 kilometers long. You’re always welcome to Latvia.

The interview which lasted for about an hour and a half, with Ambassador Vaivars was like a presentation that drew a clear picture of the economy, history and culture of Latvia that felt unfamiliar before. He remembered the complicated figures such as the economic growth rate of his country precisely to even one decimal place and explained to us. During the interview, he stood up and pulled out books from the bookshelves behind him, to help the understanding of the reporters.
Now the role of a diplomat is no longer limited to diplomatic delegation sent on behalf of the head of state. Multinational corporations that are engines of the world, are ready to move to the country that is good for business. Thus, the governments of various countries are doing its best to create jobs and revitalize the economy by eliminating all kinds of regulations and lowering taxes to attract foreign investment. The most powerful country in the world, the United States, is no exception. Ambassador Vaivars is an enthusiastic salesperson who appeals Latvia’s potential for development continuously. We were able to see why the Embassy of Latvia responded so fast.