South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Kim Young-Chae, on Thursday, said Bayelsa State had the potential to be as developed as his country of origin.

Speaking in Government House, Yenagoa, as guest of the state government, Ambassador Young-Chae said his visit was a follow-up to his recent meeting with Governor Douye Diri in Abuja to further explore areas of partnership between the state and the Republic of Korea.

He noted that Bayelsa and South Korea shared a lot of similarities, which he said would make economic co-operation between both parties beneficial.

The envoy, who is on a two-day visit to the state, identified agriculture, construction and manufacturing as some of the areas of co-operation, expressing the readiness of his country to make the partnership a reality.

He commended the progress being made by the Diri administration, saying with the enthusiasm of the governor, Bayelsa can grow like South Korea, which, according to him, was a poor country until it explored and exploited its potential.

Responding, Governor Douye Diri expressed the willingness of the state to forge economic relationship with South Korea as a way of harnessing its potential.

The governor stressed that Bayelsa was peaceful and open for business even as he expressed the optimism that by partnering with one of Asia's economic giants, Bayelsa can move from poverty to riches.

Describing Bayelsa as an agrarian state, he said the state was interested in partnering with South Korea in agriculture and other areas of economic development.

His words: "Bayelsa is peaceful, safe and open for business. Having listened to you, we are sure that we are on the right track. By partnering with you, Bayelsa can go far. We can move away from poverty to riches like South Korea with this partnership. You have mentioned areas of partnership, especially in agriculture, and we are very ready.

"We also have the Agge deep seaport project. That is one area we like to partner with you. We believe that working with South Korea, we would make progress and deepen our friendship."

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