Half of Korean expats who left India due to 2nd Covid-19 wave, return
The Korean community representatives are now discussing measures to face the possible 3rd Covid-19 wave in India and to ensure a trouble-free stay for them in India.
NEW DELHI: After a very long gap induced by the Covid-19 lockdown, the top representatives of various regional associations of Koreans staying and working in India met in Gurugram recently, and discussed various issues related to the welfare of the Korean community here.
In the very first Extraordinary General Meeting in the post-Corona time held physically under the banner of the Federation of Korean Associations in India, the issues discussed included measures to tackle the possible 3rd Covid-19 wave and protect the Korean community from its effect, the inclusion of India in the list of quarantine-exempt countries by Korea, and better coordination and cooperation amongst the communities as well as with the Korean embassy.
Later, they also visited the Indian headquarters of the Hyundai Motor India and went to meet Chang Jae-bok, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, in New Delhi.
The apex Korean expats body Korean Federation of India comprises eight regional Korean associations in India representing about 15,000 Koreans here.
Those present in this extraordinary meeting included Euy Don Park, Chairman, Federation of Korean Associations in India; SM Shim, President, World Assembly of Korean Association; SH Cho, President of Korean Association, Chennai; HS Chu, President of Korean Association, Pune; HG Jeong, President of Korean Association, Bangalore; YH Jeong, President of Korean Association, Andhra Pradesh; SG Jeong, President of Korean Association, Kolkata; IG Jeong, Secretary-General of Korean Association, Chennai; HT Kim, Secretary-General, AP Korean Association; TJ Park, Former President of Pune Korean Association, HG Chae, Former President of Pune Korean Association; BG Ra, Former President of Bangalore Korean Association; YH Seo, Secretary-General of Federation of Korean Association in India.
In the meeting, it was informed that about 50% of the India-based Koreans who had left for Korea in a hasty manner after the second wave of COVID-19 hit India in May, have returned to resume their operations in India. Currently, about 10,000 Koreans currently live in India. However, the total number of Koreans staying in India prior to the Covid-19 lockdown was around 15,000.
According to Euy Don Park, Chairman of, Federation of Korean Associations in India the matter of how to make sure the Korean people stay comfortably in India even when another Covid-19 wave hits India. He asserted that better and continuous coordination among the regional Korean Associations and also with the Korean embassy was required to effectively face another wave of coronavirus.
Another significant grievance discussed in the meeting was the non-inclusion of India in the list of quarantine-exempt countries by Korea. They demanded India should be included in the quarantine exemption so that people who have completed the Covid-19 vaccines can be exempted from the 2-week quarantine when visiting Korea. Because of this, the people were facing difficulty in traveling to Korea as they are still required to stay quarantined for two weeks after entering Korea unlike many citizens of other 34 countries like Japan, Myanmar, and Kazakhstan.
It was decided in the meeting that a related proposal would be submitted to the Embassy.
Mr. Park said Shim S M who was earlier the chairman of the Federation of Korean Associations in India and Asia-Pacific, was elected as the Chairman of the Global Federation of Korean Associations, and everyone present in the meeting celebrated his new position. They also discussed the vision of the Global Federation of Korean Associations.
“The next day of the meeting, we also visited the state-of-the-art office building of Hyundai Motor India’s headquarters in Gurugram, which was inaugurated by the Haryana chief minister recently. The Hyundai management discussed its Indian operations and also shared the company’s future vision for domestic as well as global operations,” said Euy Don Park.
Later, the delegation went to the Korean embassy in New Delhi to meet the new Ambassador Jang Jae-bok.
Jang Jae-bok said he highly appreciated the unity of the Korean community in India under the Federation of Korean Associations, which attempting hard to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. The ambassador said that he would offer full support for the safety and welfare of the Korean community, and would continuously remain in touch with the community.
Besides, the Korean Association office-bearers, the invitation dinner offered by the Ambassador was attended by the embassy diplomats including YS Lee, Minister; CH Lee, Consul General; CI Ahn, Consul General, and WH Shin, Vice Consul General.
Earlier on August 19 also, the Federation of Korean Associations in India had visited the Korean Ambassador Chang Jae-bok. Its Chairman Park Euy-don and Secretary Seo YH had visited the embassy together to outline the status of Korean residents in all regions of India. They also explained about various activities of the regional Korean associations spread across eight cities of India.
