From speed skater to diplomat: Norway's ambassador to Korea delves into seafood strategy, Arctic research

Norway’s ambassador to Korea was once on the path toward a very different career.

Anne Kari Hansen Ovind competed as a junior speed skating champion — even training with the Norwegian national team — until an injury cut her days on the ice short and directed her to years of study abroad and, eventually, the Norwegian foreign service.

“Through sports, doors open to the rest of the world,” Hansen Ovind told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview on June 12. “By traveling and competing internationally at a young age, my interest in other people, other countries, foreign languages and what is outside of Norway truly began.”

For a Norwegian ambassador, seafood is among the most powerful tools of public diplomacy.

Korea is Norway’s second-largest seafood market in Asia, and Hansen Ovind traces the demand to a natural fit: Norway’s cold, clean Arctic waters produce fish of exceptional quality for a consumer base that knows the difference.

“I think I was surprised by how Koreans are embracing those products,” she said. “In every shop with fresh seafood, I see Norwegian seafood brands,” nothing that she “immediately” recognizes “the Norwegian mackerel with its tiger stripes” at markets and restaurants as well. 

Ovind sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Lofoten by Longboat Smoker in Mapo District, western Seoul, to discuss topics ranging from Norway’s seafood strategy and Arctic governance to the challenge of protecting democratic trust in an age of artificial intelligence.

The Korea-Norway bilateral relationship did not begin with salmon. Norwegian shipowners have been ordering vessels from Korean yards since the late 1970s, and Hansen Ovind said that history quietly built something more durable than trade volume.

“We have a very solid foundation in the maritime sector, where trust [between our countries] has been built year by year, project by project,” she said. “And that trust is what we see now broadening more into cooperation in green shipping, the energy sector, the defense sector [and] an interesting growth in demand for Nordic design and Nordic style.”

The speed skater-turned-diplomat has never stopped competing. While serving as the ambassador to Canada, she completed a 52-kilometer (32.3-mile) cross-country skiing marathon five times in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit). In Seoul, she has made an annual ski competition at Pyeongchang’s Olympic slopes a regular fixture in her routine and recently crossed the finish line of a 5-kilometer marathon race in 27 minutes.

Below are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q. In January, Norway selected Hanwha Aerospace’s Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system over U.S. and European competitors. What drove that decision?

A. In Norway at the moment, we are facing a very serious security situation. It’s a war in Europe, and we are investing in all sectors of our defense. In the procurement process, the Korean system delivered on all factors: delivery, the time for delivery and also […] within the budget.

Does this signal a structural shift toward a genuine strategic partnership rather than a transactional purchase?

Norway has already purchased the K9 self-propelled howitzer, and our logistics ship, KNM Maud, was produced in Korea. So we are now continuing to cooperate with Korea in many […] aspects. I’m very hopeful that we are now embarking on a process toward a strategic partnership that will cover a lot of different areas.

Korea has been an Arctic Council observer since 2013. How does Norway evaluate that engagement?

We value Korea’s constructive contribution and participation very much. In the area of research — climate change research and marine livelihood research — we are truly very good partners. We see a constantly growing interest in cooperation and in the Arctic. And vice versa, Korea hosts the annual Arctic Partnership Week, and I’ve been very happy to attend almost every year.

Microplastics and small plastic pollution travel by current and by air, and we see plastic pollution […] in the Norwegian Arctic coming from elsewhere. It’s a reminder of how important it is to work together from different continents.

Korea is Norway’s second-largest seafood market in Asia. What explains why Norwegian seafood has become so embedded in Korean diets?

If you look at Norway, it’s located far north. We have the second-longest coast in the world — after Canada — and our water is cold and clean. And in the fjords, it’s well protected. So with fish farming, it provides really good opportunities. Norwegian waters are six times our land area, so Norway is actually a big ocean nation. We have excellent locations, an abundance of fish stocks and clean and clear water. This brings about the high quality of seafood, [as does our] continuous innovation in how we farm and harvest fish to protect the environment.

We also introduced a digital health certificate for exporters to the Korean market in 2023, and that helped facilitate trade between Korea and Norway. It covers the formalities connected to export and trade in a more efficient way.

What Norwegian seafood products are you working to introduce to Korean consumers next?

I would very much like to see products, such as farmed halibut, and cold-water products, including cold-water prawns, become attractive to Korean consumers. Halibut is a beautiful white fish that [does] very well as sashimi or sushi. And cold-water prawns — in Norway, especially now in the summertime, we sit together, rinse the shrimp and enjoy making shrimp sandwiches. We meet outdoors and bring half a kilogram (1.1 pounds) of cold-water prawns, some mayonnaise and bread. I think there are many ways those products can be appreciated here in Korea.

Having lived here for nearly four years, I know how selective and demanding Korean consumers are. I’m really proud of the high quality that Norwegian exporters are able to deliver.

The bypass of Siberian airspace since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added hours and cost to cargo flights from Europe. How is the Norwegian seafood trade adapting?

Of course, there are challenges related to logistics and prices. What we see is that it’s working out with different solutions, and we are able to make seafood transport as fast as possible. It’s also a challenge to find ways to adapt to new consumption patterns, [such as] smaller individual portions and e-commerce.

The Norwegian Seafood Council hosted a seminar recently, where some of these partnerships were discussing how we can continue developing products. It’s a very dynamic market that needs close cooperation between exporters, retailers and distributors.

Norway consistently tops global democracy rankings. Korea is currently facing political polarization and debating trust in institutions after a turbulent election season. What is Norway’s experience?

In Norway, there is a very high level of trust in society and in our public institutions. There is a traditionally strong feeling of involvement and engagement among the government, businesses and associations for workers and employers. This is our ‘three-part system,’ and it heavily helps build trust across society. However, we are not fully protected from global polarization trends. We have to consistently work on building trust.

The key element is trust. In Norway, you trust the government. You trust the health care system, the school system, your coworkers and your bosses. [That trust] is woven all over society. But you can’t just rest on that; you always have to be prepared to further develop it.

How is the rise of AI changing the challenge of protecting democratic trust?

Regarding AI governance, nobody is fully protected from these trends, and that is exactly why we must learn from each other. There is no silver bullet to deal with this. Recently, a large delegation from the Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark — came to Korea to learn about artificial intelligence. It ties perfectly into our discussion: Exchanging these crucial experiences between the Nordic nations and Korea is the way forward to protect our democratic trust. We must figure out how to properly govern these new technologies and platforms and ensure that decision-making remains truly embedded in the competence of human beings.

You were a national junior champion in speed skating before entering diplomacy. How did that transition come about?

What I would say is that through sports, doors open to the rest of the world. By traveling and competing internationally at a young age, my interest in other people, other countries, foreign languages and what is outside of Norway truly began. Later on, I had an accident, so I had to stop speed skating. But that unexpected turn opened up the opportunity for me to pivot fully to my studies. I studied abroad for many years in Britain, in Belgium, and I spent significant time in France and Switzerland. That international dimension from my sports days naturally carried over into my fascination with foreign cultures, languages and traditions, leading me to diplomacy.

What sports do you enjoy in Korea?

We have been hiking the mountains very close by, such as Mount Bukhan — which stands at 837 meters (2,746.1 feet) — and all the peaks around Seoul. We also went to cimb Mount Halla [in Jeju Island] and Mount Seorak in Gangwon.

What I thought was quite interesting is that in Korea, people really care about each other and do things we don’t expect. One time, we went to Mount Gwanak, and when we had only a few hundred meters left of a really steep climb, you had nurses sitting there on the path. We could sit down and have our blood pressure taken. They checked it and said, ‘Very good. You can continue.’ I have never seen that anywhere else in the world. We felt really taken care of, even in the middle of the mountains.

What Korean food have you discovered since arriving?

Cold noodles — naengmyeon (buckwheat noodles in cold broth) — for me, that was a discovery. It’s so tasty, but it’s so different from what I was used to before. And we’ve been talking a lot about seafood, but, of course, Korean barbecue — it’s so famous, but I also know the reason why it’s famous: It is really delicious. And […] on my first day in the office, my colleagues at the embassy brought me to a hot chicken soup — samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) — restaurant, and that is also a very welcoming tradition here in Korea.

BY SEO JI-EUN   [[email protected]]