PNG-S.Korea visa deal

PRIME Minister James Marape has signed a reciprocal visa waiver arrangement with South Korea in Seoul, and is also considering a visa-on-arrival agreement too for the two nations.
In Seoul for the inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands summit, Marape said South Korea was one of Papua New Guinea’s biggest trading partners.
“Our focus was on ramping up our trade relations with South Korea,” Marape said.
“We invited them to bring their business expertise, especially in manufacturing, into our focus of moving into manufacturing in downstream processing, in our special economic zones.”
Marape said the current volume of trade between the two countries was around US$1.8 billion (about K6 billion), adding that the increase in trade relations with South Korea “is in our favour”.
He urged South Korean investors to set up businesses in Papua New Guinea “and buy our products as we make our move from exporting raw products to exporting finished products”.
During a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Marape asked him to consider reopening the KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) Office in Port Moresby.
They also discussed the Korean Exim Bank’s commitment to fund the Wewak and Vanimo wharf projects, and the Exim Bank’s soft-lending facilities that Papua New Guinea could access through a credit line.
Marape was accompanied by International Trade and Investment Minister Richard Maru, Finance and Implementation vice-minister John Boito and Treasury vice-minister Solen Loifa.