Akiva Tor, Israeli Ambassador to South Korea, had an interview with Herald Business at the embassy in central Seoul, July 12th. Photo was taken under the disinfection guideline.

By Jaeyeon Moon- “This was the first vaccine swap by way of bilateral agreement between countries. The international vaccine economy has to become very efficient, and Korean-Israeli vaccine swap conveys not only national but also global importance on the matter,” said the Israeli Ambassador to Korea, Akiva Tor, to Herald Business during an interview at the embassy in central Seoul, July 12th.

Israel sent 700,800 expiring Pfizer-BioNTech shots to South Korea, in what is the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine swap. “We were able to conclude this agreement in 6 days. Once we finished the agreement, we were able to arrange the flight within 24 hours,” Tor recalled. He said “I really enjoyed working with the Ministry of Health, KDCA and MOFA people who were unbelievably efficient, professional, and experienced. I truly think the agreement was mutually beneficial.”

Other than vaccine deal, Korea and Israel are tightening their economic and political ties. Israel and Korea signed a free trade agreement, bolstering bilateral trade by cutting out customs duties and offering safety nets on investments. “FTA signing is a very strong political signal by both governments to industry that Israel and Korea need to deepen their engagement. This is Korea’s first FTA with any country in the Middle East and Israel’s first FTA with any country in Asia,” Tor emphasized.

Akiva Tor, Israeli Ambassador to South Korea, had an interview with Herald Business at the embassy in central Seoul, July 12th. Photo was taken under the disinfection guideline.

Korea and Israel also agreed for a renewal of the joint KORIL R&D fund to strategically invest in artificial intelligence(AI) and other high-tech industries. Tor said “Innovation, strong science, and a powerful high-tech industrial base are elements which constitute the Israel-Korea economic complementarity.”

Along with the FTA, former Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi had planned to visit Korea and conduct a bilateral ministerial meeting. But this plan did not take place because of the latest clashes over the Gaza Strip.

“We found ourselves essentially with an enemy mini-state on our immediate border, with Tel Aviv and our international airport within active rocket range. This is a situation we can’t let happen in the West Bank which borders all of our major populations centers, and for this reason the Israeli public and subsequent Israeli governments have been more cautious about the futures steps Israel can safely take towards the Palestinian position.”

During the outbreak, the success of Israeli Iron Dome artillery interception system drew attention among many Koreans. Korean government approved plans to fund a project which would effectively develop a rocket interceptor system similar to Iron Dome.

“Israel and Korea does not face the exact same tactical challenge, but we can surely cooperate on operational experience and joint development of new defense systems,” said Ambassador Tor.

In the meantime, Israel and Korea will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022. In celebration of the anniversary, the Embassies of Israel and Korea are currently co-sponsoring a logo contest. “Israel and Korea are in very close relations and I am excited to have the 60th anniversary to bring them even closer.”