[interview] Once War-torn, Korea Emulates Norwegian Lifestyle

Norway-Korea ties date back to Korean War

By Yi Whan-woo

It was during the dark days of the 1950-53 Korean War that Norway extended a helping hand to the war-torn country in the form of the Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH).

From those small beginnings, Korean ties with the Scandinavian country have strengthened considerably and Korea has rapidly grown into an economic powerhouse.

Marking their 60 years of diplomatic cooperation, Korea and Norway still have more to collaborate on, as Korea seeks to shift away from a competition-oriented society to emulate the Scandinavian lifestyle for work-life balance, healthy living and wellness in general.

'That was a very important and meaningful beginning of the close ties we enjoy today and I think it's very fascinating and interesting that those ties are still there,' Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Frode Solberg told The Korea Times during a recent interview at his embassy in Seoul.

He said that Norway's NORMASH, Denmark's Jutlandia hospital ship and Sweden's Red Cross hospital during the war inspired the establishment of the National Medical Center in October 1958.

The three Scandinavian countries separately established diplomatic treaties with Korea a year later Their relationships with Korea have prospered since, with Seoul transforming from rags into riches.

'Even though we're far apart, we have worked closely in politics, commerce and many other areas,' Solberg said. 'Our bilateral ties are so close that we're very happy to use 60 years of celebration as a marker (for our friendship).

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Denmark, Norway and Sweden have planned celebrations for the 60th anniversary both unilaterally and jointly.

The calendar of events organized by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Seoul includes a reading of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's 'Brand' in Seoul, in cooperation with Professor Kim Myi-he and the Korean Playwright Association (January); a visit by Norwegian students of K-pop (April); Norway Days, including a national day reception, seafood promotion and campaign against marine littering, all in Seoul (May); a literary salon with two Norwegian writers at the Seoul International Book Fair (June); participation by the Performing Arts Hub Norway at the Performing Arts Market in Seoul as well as a performance of the Norwegian Dance Company Tony Tran during Seoul International Dance Festival, a Norwegian Week in Busan in connection with KORMARINE (October); and a concert by the Trondheim...