Tunisia celebrated its 58th year of independence from colonial rule and marked the popular demonstrations that swept the North African nation in 2011, toppling the 34-year-long regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in a reception in Seoul on Thursday.

“On March 20, 1956, Tunisia retrieved its sovereignty and began the arduous mission of setting up the foundations of its modern republic,” said Tunisian Ambassador to South Korea Mohamed Ali Nafti.

“On Jan. 14, 2011, the Tunisian people ushered in a new era in Tunisia’s history after a peaceful and spontaneous revolution, crowned three years later by the adoption by the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly of a new constitution paving the way to the establishment of the rule of law, justice, dignity and human development for all Tunisians,” he said.

Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo delivered a congratulatory speech to reception guests, including foreign envoys, corporate executives and friends of Tunisia.

In his speech, Nafti encouraged South Korean companies to have a greater presence in the North African nation of 10 million people.

Tunisia is a $100 billion economy with a per capita GDP of about $9,500. KOICA has financially and technically supported development projects in Tunisia since 1991. Tunisia is now looking for transfers of know-how and investment from Korea.

He invited companies to invest and for South Korean travelers to “discover the beauty of Tunisia and its very rich cultural heritage, accumulated over 3,000 years of civilization.”

In 2011 the Korean government placed a Level 2 travel warning for visitors to Tunisia, which cautions South Korean nationals to take “special care for their personal safety and prudence in traveling.”

The ministry rates the travel safety of countries on a scale of 1 to 4, 1 being the least dangerous and 4 resulting in an outright ban on travel. Korean nationals are now prohibited from traveling to five countries: Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.

By Philip Iglauer (ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)