Since September 1, the Lebanese authorities have again been allowing South Koreans to obtain visas upon arrival in Lebanon. The practice had been discontinued in November 2003, when the Lebanese government imposed visa restrictions on a number of countries.
South Korean embassy officials declined to offer an explanation for their country’s inclusion on the list, although one official suggested Lebanon felt that South Korea had not been doing all it could to facilitate visits to the country by Lebanese. They did suggest that the move would boost South Korean-Lebanese business ties. In fact, since the decision was implemented, a South Korean trade delegation has already paid a visit to Lebanon, which imports roughly $64 million in South Korean products a year, for only $8 million in exports.
“Business people have very busy schedules,” asserted the head of the delegation, Youn-Hwan Chung. “We were having to wait up to three weeks for a visa. And even then we weren’t sure of getting it.”
But although the visa hurdle has been dismantled, other obstacles to increased South Korean-Lebanese business remain.
“There are differences in business culture,” noted Chung. “And South Korea is geographically far removed from Lebanon. The Lebanese are more familiar with, and prefer, European brands. And Lebanon’s IT industry is not well developed. The Internet is very slow.”
“Most South Koreans still think Lebanon is very dangerous,” observed the South Korean embassy’s commercial attaché, Kihyoung Choe. “Members of the trade delegation were asking me if it was safe.”
The South Korean ambassador to Lebanon, Young-Sun Kim, however, remained upbeat: “I want to talk only about the positive aspects,” he said. “There is no doubt that the move will greatly contribute to the promotion of business between the two countries.”
