[Meeting the Ambassador to Korea] "Korea at the Core of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy...Expanding the Scope of Cooperation"

Tamara Mohyani, Canadian Ambassador to Korea
From LNG to Content: Strengthening the Partnership
"Korea and Canada Will Broaden Cooperation Through Mutual Complementarity"

Tamara Mohyani, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Canadian Embassy in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

"All Canadian Roads Lead to Seoul."

Tamara Mohyani, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, recently stated this during an interview with Asia Economy at the Canadian Embassy in Jung-gu, Seoul. By referencing the familiar saying "All Roads Lead to Rome," she expressed the significance of Korea to Canada, explaining, "This phrase symbolically demonstrates that Korea stands at the center of Canada's trade, security, culture, and technology strategies in the Indo-Pacific region."

Ambassador Mohyani began her diplomatic career in 1993, handling cabinet affairs at the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has since served at major overseas posts in New York, Paris, and Brussels, before being appointed as Canadian Ambassador to Korea in August 2022. Known for her deep affection for Korean culture, she drew attention on social media last month when she wore a navy blue durumagi hanbok among the well-wishers seeing off President Lee Jae Myung as he departed for the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada on June 16.

President Lee Jae Myung, who is visiting Canada to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, is seen talking with Tamara Mohyani, the Canadian ambassador to Korea, before boarding Air Force One at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 16th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

Ambassador Mohyani recalled her conversation with President Lee just before he boarded Air Force One bound for Canada at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, saying, "Since President Lee's first overseas trip after taking office was to the G7, a major international stage, I wanted to convey the message that Canada, as this year's G7 host, is firmly supporting Korea." She added, "I also wanted to emphasize that Canada stands with Korea to ensure President Lee has a 'good start,' and to express my hope that he will establish a friendly relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who recently took office."

10 Years of Korea-Canada FTA..."Expanding Cooperation in Energy and Minerals"

Tamara Mohyniy, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Canadian Embassy in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Korea was the first country in the Asia-Pacific region with which Canada signed a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Korea-Canada FTA's entry into force. Ambassador Mohyani said, "Over the past 10 years, bilateral trade in goods between Korea and Canada has increased by more than 80% through the FTA. With most tariffs set to be eliminated next year, trade between the two countries is expected to make another leap forward."

Looking ahead to the next 10 years, Ambassador Mohyani identified "energy" as the most noteworthy area for cooperation. She stated, "The two countries have built deep trust over the past decade. In the next 10 years, there will be exponential changes and cooperation, especially in energy trade," and added, "From the perspective of energy security, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a highly promising area for collaboration." She also noted, "Maritime transport from Canada to Korea is much shorter than generally expected and can take as little as seven days."

In fact, Canada and Korea are materializing their energy cooperation, centered on LNG. Korea is set to begin importing Canadian LNG through the 'LNG Canada' project, in which Korea Gas Corporation holds a 5% stake. In addition, the 'Cedar LNG' project, for which Samsung Heavy Industries has secured an order to build a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility, is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. Regarding this, Ambassador Mohyani said, "The fact that the FLNG facility for the Cedar LNG project, in which Canadian Indigenous peoples hold a majority stake, is being built in Korea is a representative example of how energy cooperation is generating economic benefits such as job creation."

Ambassador Mohyani cited critical minerals as the next promising area for cooperation after energy. She explained, "For Korea, Canadian mineral resources can help diversify supply chains and reduce trade dependence on specific countries," and added, "Under the 'Mine to Mobility' strategy currently being promoted by the Canadian government, Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are cooperating." She continued, "Through this, Korean electric vehicle and battery companies are introduced to ongoing mining projects in Canada, and if they decide to invest, they can stably secure resources produced from those projects."

Ambassador Mohyani also noted that there are opportunities for cooperation in various other fields. She said, "To ensure systematic and sustainable cooperation, the Commercial Section of the Canadian Embassy analyzes the potential of the Korean market for Canadian companies and supports them in finding suitable business partners," adding, "As successful cases accumulate through this process, the perception that the two countries are reliable trade and investment partners is becoming even stronger."

"Korea-Canada Cultural Cooperation in Full Swing...Creating Stories Everyone Can Relate To"

Tamara Mohyniy, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Canadian Embassy in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Canadian government designated 2024-2025 as the "Year of Korea-Canada Mutual Cultural Exchange" and dispatched the "Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission" to Korea on June 1. The mission included about 30 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises and nonprofit organizations from five sectors: audiovisual, publishing, digital media, performing arts, and music. Representatives from major government agencies and provincial governments also visited Korea.

Ambassador Mohyani emphasized that this mission's visit would lead to concrete progress in joint content production, technology linkage, and talent exchange between the two countries. She said, "The Canadian companies that visited Korea held a total of 320 business meetings over five days, resulting in the signing of eight memorandums of understanding (MOUs)," and added, "I look forward to the official release of jointly produced content by Canada and Korea in the future."

Ambassador Mohyani explained that the reason Canada has partnered with Korea in the content sector is because "Korea is the country that best understands the power of culture and has proven it with real results." She stated, "Korea is a country that has experienced the impact of BTS's popularity on its GDP firsthand. It is very meaningful for Canadian companies to experience Korea's content market directly," expressing her high expectations.

Ambassador Mohyani said, "I have long observed Korean artists active in Canada, and they have expressed the stories of 'living as a Canadian,' 'living as a Korean,' and 'living as a Korean Canadian' in ways that anyone can relate to," adding, "Their work is an excellent example of conveying universal human emotions. In this way, the two countries can create stories together that resonate with audiences around the world, transcending national and linguistic boundaries."

Finally, Ambassador Mohyani stressed that such cultural cooperation will serve as a foundation for further strengthening the strategic relationship between the two countries. She said, "We share a strong belief in democracy, human rights, and multilateral diplomacy, making our relationship exceptionally special in today's geopolitical international order," and emphasized, "Korea and Canada can leverage each other's strengths. Through mutual complementarity, the two countries will achieve shared prosperity."