Interview with EKRA Koussi Florent, Ambassador of Cote d´Ivoire to Korea, on February 10, 2010 at the Embassy of Cote'Dvoire

“Hope for Increased Bilateral Trade.”

 “It has been already one year and 2 months since I came to Korea. When I arrived in Korea, I was so amazed at the development status of this nation, especially at the technology and industrial sectors. The universities in Cote d´Ivoire are not fully aware of the remarkable Korean economic development,” answered the ambassador to the questions of his first impression of Korea.

There are about 50 Ivorians living In Korea. Two of them are students studying under the Korean government scholarship program and one is a professor. Some of them are traders, government officials and travelers.
And in our country, there are two Koreans who work in the automobile repair area.

 Cote d'Ivoire, located in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea, has much larger territories than Korea and its population stands at about 20 million.
Compared to the wide land areas, a small number of Ivorians are living in isolated places to each other leading to serious traffic problems.

 “I think the Korean government is doing well by allowing foreigners from any country to come to Korea, contributing to creating a multicultural society,” said Mr. Florent as he mentioned about the Korean development into a multicultural society. “Ivorians living in Korea are enthusiastically learning Korean customs, culture, and tradition,” he added. 

The Ambassador hopes for an increase in trade volume between Korea and Cote d'Ivoire, especially hoping for more demand for their coconut palms. “I also hope more Korean students come to Cote d'Ivoire under the Korean government assistance. And I would like to express my gratitude to all Koreans who warmheartedly welcomed me and other embassy officers,” said the Ambassador.