An Interview with Canada's Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Eric Walsh

Ambassador Walsh has been serving as Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Korea since February 12, 2015. Walsh was recently in Vancouver and was kind enough to grant UBC Asian Studies an interview. We talk about his start in global affairs, the responsibilities of an Ambassador and advice for students hoping to work and live in South Korea. Hopefully Asian Studies will be able to invite Ambassador Walsh onto campus to talk to students during his next visit to Vancouver. 
How did you start your career in Canadian Global Affairs?
I was always interested in international relations and foreign policy, as far back as I can remember. As an undergrad just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I focused my study on what we then called “Post-Soviet politics”. After third year I applied to the Student Work Abroad Program to spend a summer in Poland. That was the first time I visited a Canadian Embassy and realized it could be a career possibility. I was fortunate enough to be successful a subsequent recruitment exercise after returning to Canada, and so a couple of years after that first summer abroad, I walked through the front door of the Pearson Building in Ottawa as a fully-fledged Foreign Service Officer.
What are your major responsibilities as the Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea?
Actually people often ask me this, and it’s really difficult to sum up concisely. Ultimately it’s to ensure that Canadian interests and values are being promoted and protected. The three largest sections of the Embassy in Korea deal with foreign policy; trade and investment; and consular/administration issues, so that takes up most of my days. It’s more than just bilateral Canada-Korea matters though. We work together with Korea on issues such as the global economy, international peace and security, and environment/climate change. There’s also organizing visits of federal and provincial delegations from Canada, connecting with the local Canadian community – helped greatly by an active Canadian Chamber of Commerce – and of course making sure the Embassy itself is fully staffed with intelligent, dynamic and motivated individuals! If anyone is really interested I recommend they follow the Embassy Twitter or Instagram feeds, or “like” us on Facebook, to keep up with what we’re doing on a real-time basis.
How are Canadians currently engaged with Korea? Is this a growing relationship? What are the major challenges that need to be overcome?
It’s definitely growing. Canada hosts the fourth-largest Korean community outside of Korea, and Koreans are the third largest group of foreign students in Canada, so there’s a great deal of interest in both directions. Our two countries launched a Strategic Partnership in 2014 and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement – Canada’s first in Asia – came into force on January 1 2015. This led to significantly increased economic contacts between Canada and Korea in 2015, despite the global downturn; most notably a double-digit percentage increase in Korean visitors to Canada. I’m consistently amazed to find out how many connections there are between our two countries. For example, as we get ready for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, the coaches of Korea’s men’s and women’s hockey teams are both Canadian. The challenge, if anything, is complacency: with few acute issues requiring high-level attention, Koreans tend to focus more on the U.S. when they look across the Pacific while Canadians can often look past Korea to China. But I think this can also be an advantage, as there’s a lot of tips Canada and Korea can share with each other about living next to such large neighbours.
Are there are opportunities for young graduates to work in Korea?
Yes, although in most spheres some ability in the Korean language is required. Having said that, the demand for English remains insatiable, and at any given time literally thousands of Canadians are here as language teachers. It’s a great way to see the country and also polish up your local language skills if you decide you want to stay longer. There’s also a one year working holiday visa available for Canadians under 30 which offers a great deal of flexibility – you can get more info at whic.mofa.go.kr. And there are lots of exchange programs available at Korean universities for students in Canada who would like to spend part of their degree studying abroad.
Do you think Asia Competency is important for Canada? Why?
I guess every UBC student will know why! Asia is increasingly the gravitational centre of the global economy, and Canada is a Pacific nation, so the better we understand Asia the better we’ll be able to reap the benefits of our geopolitical situation. What’s clear to me is that we need to be proactive on this; Canada is generally viewed positively but Asia is hardly waiting around for us to engage! We need more people developing skills, linkages, and Asia expertise of all kinds in Canada. Having said that, Asia is vast, and understanding the politics, language and culture of one area may not help much in other parts of the continent. So we also have to make sure that when we talk about developing Asia competencies we are adequately covering all parts of Asia, and know how they all fit together and where Canada belongs in the equation.
What advice do you have for Asian Studies students who want to work for Global Affairs Canada and/or Canadian companies abroad?
Advice is hard because each individual situation can be different, but my best effort is: always keep looking for opportunities, since you never know when they’ll appear. The Government of Canada does regular student recruitment – details at jobs.gc.ca – including directly for the Foreign Service from time to time. To maximize your chances, experience living abroad, whether working, travelling or studying, can also be important since the expat lifestyle isn’t for everyone and employers will want to know this is something you’re comfortable doing. I’d also say that the more languages you can speak, the better. Recruiters are interested in people with the right experience and professional qualifications, but if you are also bringing relevant linguistic skills as part of the package, that can be a huge advantage.