Korea downplays security threat in Nigeria as trade volume grows

There is no plan to reduce activities of the Republic of Korea in Nigeria over security threats, its Ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young-chae has said.

Also, on the volume of trade between the two countries, the Ambassador hinted that the figure has grown by 20 per cent in the last year, even as he hoped for more.

He made this known in Abuja, yesterday while speaking on the planned celebration of Korean Day, expected to kick off Monday, next week.

Nevertheless, Young-chae said nationals of the Republic have been urged to be vigilant.

He said: “Regarding the alert by some embassies, while I do not want to comment on that too much, I want to say that the position of my embassy is that we plan to commence the Korean Day celebration that is kicking off next week Monday. But we have asked Korean nationals to take precautionary measures. Our activities are going on normally in Nigeria without any fear. We have no intention to cancel or postpone the Korean National Day at all.”

He noted that insecurity has, no doubt, adversely affected the Nigerian economy and the daily lives of the people.

“I read articles regarding the experiences of farmers and agriculture generally. Nigeria should resolve the insecurity issue as soon as possible, to save lives and help the economy,” he said.

Young-chae, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for visiting the Republic of Korea 10 years after former President Goodluck Jonathan did the same in 2012, said the Nigerian government did not request any aid from Korea but asked Korean companies to invest in the country, particularly in the manufacturing, where Koreans have excelled in the last few decades.

He said: “Currently, about 35 per cent of young people do not have jobs in Nigeria. Thirty-five per cent is a huge number. They don’t have jobs. So, the best way to solve the insecurity challenge is to create more jobs, so that unemployed young people have something useful to do. I know that this is why the Nigerian people and Nigerian government want to have a massive inflow of investment in the manufacturing sector.”