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‘I Look Forward to a Future of Growth for Korea and Algeria’

The country of Algeria is situated in North Africa, where the Sahara Desert covers much of its land area. The country is now spurring efforts to convert its longtime socialist system into a market-type economy. Mr. Faycal Metaoui, an editorial writer for the country’s representative independent newspaper, El Watan, visited Korea to acquire a better understanding of Korea’s economic development and to broaden the scope of bilateral relations between Korea and Algeria.

With this being your first visit to Korea, what particular aspects of Korea have attracted your attention?
Like many developing countries, we are, above all, very much interested in learning about how Korea achieved such a brilliant economic success. There was nothing but the ruins of war in Korea just about five decades ago. Now, however, Korea is one of the world’s leading economies. So Korea is a great example for Algeria to follow. Accordingly, Algeria’s government ministers have recently visited Korea to learn from your success. I also visited to see Korea’s economic status and industry with my own eyes and to meet with many people.

After meeting with various people and visiting certain sites, what was your impression?
I was pleased to have a comprehensive discussion on the development and current status of the Korean economy with the president of the Korea Economic Research Institute. I also spent time with Konkuk University Professor Choi Chang-mo and other Korean specialists on the Middle East to exchange opinions on key Middle Eastern issues. I also discussed human rights issues with the secretary-general of Amnesty International South Korea. By meeting with the president of The Korea Times, I became aware of the development of Korea’s news media and the current difficulties of Korean daily newspapers. In Ulsan, I visited the key industries that have helped to fuel Korea’s economic development, while in Gyeongju I was able to learn about the roots of Korean culture. I focused on observing Korea’s economic achievements, but I was also very much impressed by the long history and rich culture of Korea.

We understand that the Algerian people are now actively pursuing economic development and openness.
Algeria has long maintained a socialist style economic system. It is now in a period of transition from a state-led economy to a market-oriented system. In this process, there has been much difficulty and failed efforts. State intervention is quite frequently exercised in the economy, in general, since our country has not yet established a free-market economy, like you have in Korea. Moreover, the recent worldwide financial crisis, resulting from the excessive deregulation of advanced economies, has led more people to raise their voice about the continued need for the state’s intervention in our marketplace.

You mention that Korea’s economic development is a good example for your country.
But you must also be aware of possible adverse consequences from a rapid growth economic policy. Every country dreams of rapid economic growth, but this cannot neglect the provision of measures to protect the underprivileged. I understand that Korea has also thought much about how to maintain a proper balance between economic growth and wealth distribution. I think we should build a social model to embrace elements, like labor unions and human rights, which are sometimes isolated from economic development. The problem is that it is comparatively more difficult to promote such measures during an economic recession, than in a period of continued economic growth. So, we should think seriously about how we can protect the underprivileged and assure a fair distribution of wealth in order to sustain economic growth.

What can Algeria learn from the Korean experiences in regard to our history and political situation?
It might be difficult to say that Korea has been relatively fortunate in history. But Algeria has experienced considerable hardship due to French colonial rule, so there are many things we can learn from Korea, which has managed to overcome its own painful history and achieve such successful development. During a visit to the DMZ, I heard about Korea’s modern and contemporary history, and how the Korean people had been forcibly divided due to the influence of world powers. I felt the importance of building up national power through economic development, under such circumstances. I believe both Algeria and Korea should diversify their economic and diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.

What benefits can result from an expansion of Algeria-Korea economic exchange?
Korea thus far has participated in several large-scale public works projects in Algeria, such as the construction of waterways and desalination facilities. Especially, we are very grateful for the Korean businesses and their continuing work in our country, despite the killing of a Korean company president during a period of instability in Algeria, in the late 1990s. With more active economic relations between our two countries, the areas of exchange will expand to energy in Algeria and to education and the service sectors in Korea. Algeria is very much interested in Korea’s advanced service industries, such as education, and its green-energy technology. I think there is much growth potential in these areas.

Please give us a brief overview of Algeria’s media environment and El Watan.
Our media environment is not yet liberalized, as all television and radio outlets are owned by the state. So it is the case that the news media is pro-government. Print media, such as daily newspapers, are published in French or Arabic. One of the representative Arabic newspapers is El Elkhabar, while El Watan is one of the representative news media in French, with a voice independent from the state. I am confident that El Watan, founded in 1990 by 18 reporters, speaks out with accurate

What efforts do you believe are necessary to broaden the scope of Algeria-Korea cooperation and understanding?
With the visit of former Korean President Roh Moo-hyun to Algeria in 2006, Korea and Algeria have formed a strategic and cooperative relationship. Based on this political foundation, I believe we need to implement measures to bring about more active people-to-people exchanges through visa exemption, opening of direct flights, and establishment of a chamber of commerce. I think free exchange between our peoples will play a great role in enhancing mutual understanding and rediscovering oneself as well. Currently, news on Algeria reaches Korea mainly through the eyes of the Western news media. I hope more Koreans, including media reporters, will visit Algeria and see us from a more balanced Korean perspective in the future.

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