From Korea to Kilpauk

CHENNAI: In the year that Byung-Suk Chang has been trade commissioner of the Korea Business Centre, at least 20 companies have entered India. "I am constantly receiving enquiries from companies back home. Around 15 more companies are likely to enter Tamil Nadu this year," he says.There are about 160 Korean companies in Chennai.Deputy chief minister M K Stalin recently said the state government plans toestablish an industry cluster for small and medium South Korean enterprises nearChennai.Stalin's announcement comes at time when the Korean businesscommunity is being lured by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra's auto hub Pune."Andhra Pradesh, particularly, has been very aggressive and is inviting us toSEZs," Ho says.The Korean tryst with Tamil Nadu started in 1996 withthe entry of auto major Hyundai, which brought around 20 auto parts companies toChennai. There has been a steady trickle of Korean companies, both big andsmall, into the state since."One of the reasons companies came hereinitially was that Chennai was the nearest port to Korea," Chang says. Shin KwiHo, chairman of the Korean Association in Chennai, cites the high number ofengineering colleges and quality of talent as another reason. "Tamil people havegood work ethic they rise early and work hard," Ho says.Koreadefinitely stands to gain from the Indian consumer growth story, but it is alsomaking India an export hub. Hyundai is not just taking Maruti head on in hometurf, but is also steadily increasing its exports from here. Electronic majorsSamsung and LG are among the better known Korean companies that have set up shopin Tamil Nadu. "The maximum trade enquiries are from companies in the autosector and electronics space," Chang says.Recently, Korean candymaker Lotte inaugurated a large factory in Nemam, on the outskirts of Chennai.This factory will not just cater to the Indian market but also export to WestAsia and Africa. Chang says that there has been rising interest from pharmacompanies. "Some textile companies have been making enquiries about Tirupur. Imust visit that city sometime," says Chang.Around 2,200 Koreans havemade Chennai their home, and every month about 60 more come to the city to workin various industries, according to statistics available with the immigrationbureau.Koreans are Chennai's largest and most visible expatriatecommunity. Most corporate expatriates come for three to five years beforereturning home. Immigration officials laughingly refer to Alwarpet as Koreapetas most of the community lives there. Stalin himself referred to Kilpauk asKorea Town recently. Though Kilpauk is not entirely like Kolkata's China Town,one does see many Koreans in the vicinity. Over the years, they have settled inhouses across the city from Tiruvanmayur, Adyar and R A Puram to Porur andSriperumbudur.Korean families that move to the city face a bit of aculture shock initially. Not only do they find language a barrier, they are alsounaccustomed to Chennai's ruthless heat. But the presence of otherKoreans helps. "Koreans are the largest foreign community in Chennai and that isa comforting factor," says Rathi Jafer, director of the Indo-Korean Cultural andInformation Centre (InKo).There are about five Korean restaurants inthe city and at least three shops selling Korean food. In stores like AmmaNanna, sticky rice and gochujang (fermented red chili paste) share shelf spacewith pasta and olive oil."Some words in Korean are the same in Tamillike amma' for mother', appa' for father'. In both languages, Ulle va' meanscome in'," says Jafer. InKo, funded by TVS and Hyundai, works to bring about acultural connect between Koreans and Indians. Korean women collaborate with InKofor projects and learn yoga.A number of Korean cultural troupesvisit the city regularly, performing to packed halls of both locals and expats.Last month, Theatre Seoul performed the play Choon Hyang and on Saturdayevening, the performance group Tuida will present The Tale ofHaruk.InKo has also seen an increase in the number of localsenrolling in Korean classes. "The Korean proficiency test, TopiK, opens upopportunities both here and abroad," says Jafer. SRM University and HannamUniversity of South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding for exchange ofstudents and scholars earlier this month. The University of Korea, which used tohave a certificate programme in Hindi, has now introduced one in Tamil. Thereare about 50 students, whose parents are not in India, studying in colleges inChennai and Bangalore. Most study information technology or languages. MostKorean parents make a beeline for the American International School and Changsays that of the 300 students there, 200 are Korean.They are ashappy as other Chennaiites about the opening of Express Avenue Mall and can'twait for the other malls to come up. They're also hoping to see AriRang TV, aKorean channel which is available in Delhi and the north-east, inChennai.