business & finance club - qatar : The perception by Koreans of this tiny Middle Eastern country is largely limited to its rich reserves of oil and gas.As Qatar's second largest importer of natural gas after Japan, Korea has been an important business partner for the nation, which boasts the world's second highest GDP per capita at $61,902.

March 28 marked the launch of the first-ever direct flight between the two countries by Qatar Airways and the bilateral relations have entered a new threshold, according to the top Korean diplomat stationed here. He emphasized that the time has come for Koreans to discover the unknown facets of Qatar, particularly its strength in quality university education.

``So far Koreans have been woefully ignorant of Qatar and the Middle East in general,'' Chang See-jeong, Korean ambassador to Qatar said in a recent Korea Times interview at his residence.

While the Korean business presence has been growing here, the 54-year-old career diplomat expressed his wish to see more Korean students benefiting from studying in Qatar, which he perceives could be a primary breeding ground for the next generation of Middle East specialists from Korea.

The country is home to a number of extended campuses of some of the most prestigious U.S. universities, including Cornell, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern, among others.

They are housed in the Education City, built and operated by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a private foundation established by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar.

``I hope to see more of our young students choosing Qatar for university education, rather than going to the U.S.," Chang said. ``A U.S. degree does not automatically guarantee jobs in the U.S. or in Korea. I urge young Koreans to broaden their horizons and consider the Middle East when thinking about an overseas college education.''

The ambassador explained that the Education City houses the most competitive disciplines of each of the U.S. universities.

Cornell opened a medical college in 2002 and Carnegie Mellon offers programs in computer science, business and information systems. Georgetown School of Foreign Service has been running programs in international affairs and Texas A&M in engineering. In 2008, Northwestern University opened in Qatar offering programs in journalism and communications.

Currently, there are only four Korean students studying at the Education City, mostly on exchange training. In addition, there are a number of Korean lawyers receiving special programs on Islamic Law at the Qatar Foundation.

``Koreans always talk about the dire state of youth unemployment, but why not take advantage of the jobs available here for educated foreigners?''

Some of the world's largest petrochemical companies like Shell and Exxon are stationed here with employees from all over the world.

Around 80 percent of the Qatari population is from outside the country.

``If young Koreans get their college degrees in Qatar and are sufficiently knowledgeable in the local language and culture, their chances of employment here in oil or construction companies is extremely high,'' Chang said, as he stressed the need for nurturing more Korean experts on the Middle East in the coming years.

``The new direct flight has brought our countries closer than ever before. Students can serve as a bridge to accelerate further exchanges between the two countries,'' he said.

The mood among the Korean community regarding the Doha-Incheon direct flight has been jubilant. There are around 2,500 Koreans residing here and around 350 of them are flight attendants with Qatar Airways.

Additionally, there are around 2~3,000 construction workers from North Korea.

The local press has also taken note of the launch of the direct flight, with major dailies like The Gulf Times featuring an advertisement by the Korea Tourism Organization to celebrate the occasion.

Despite the 2010-2012 Visit Korea campaign, Korea is not known as a tourism destination for the Qatari people. The Korean Embassy has been engaged in arduous promotion efforts to boost Korea's image as a vacation spot, Chang added.

``However, the Qatari elite have a good level of respect for Korea as one of its largest trading partners and an efficient development model for small countries,'' Chang said.

Qatar is an important construction market for Korea and major corporations like Daewoo, Doosan, GS, and Hyundai, all have construction projects underway here.

The ambassador also elaborated on the similarities between the two countries.

Both have achieved remarkable economic growth in a short period of time and are enthusiastic about hosting large international events.

``Although unknown to most Koreans, Qatar is a dynamic country and a Mecca of international conferences,'' the ambassador said, recounting the 2001 WTO ministerial conference that ultimately produced the Doha Development Agenda for promoting free trade around the world.

Another thing Korea and Qatar have in common is a love for soccer. They are both bidding to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup