Safety, health of Koreans highest priority; Expanding Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership prime objective: Ambassador Chang Jae-bok
New Delhi. In his maiden message after assuming the charge of South Korean Ambassador to India, Chang Jae-bok has said that the wellbeing of the Korean nationals staying and working in India would be the highest priority of the Korean embassy.
The embassy is also committed to providing necessary assistance to the Korean corporations operating in India, he affirmed.
Though the first message of Ambassador Chang Jae-bok, the former Ambassador and Deputy Minister of Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Republic of Korea (RoK) who succeeded Shin Bong-kil started with laying stress on strengthening Indo-Korean bilateral ties.
“The Embassy’s primary focus is to expand and deepen Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership. Its efforts are also geared towards ensuring the growth of the Korean corporations and looking after the welfare of the Korean community in India by enhancing mutual understanding, trust, and the friendship between our two peoples,” it said.
The Ambassador said that around 10,000 Korean nationals resided in India and they serve as the backbone of strong bilateral relationship.
“In this challenging time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the health and safety of Korean residents in India remains the highest priority of the Embassy. The Embassy pledges to do its best in providing necessary assistance to the Korean citizens and residents, as well as the Korean corporations doing business in India,” the Ambassador added.
The special concern towards the Korean national’s safety and health emanates from the fact that many Korean nationals had to suffer very badly for the lack of adequate healthcare facilities during the 2nd Covid-19 wave during April-June this year. Short supply of oxygen, scarcity of hospital beds and equipment had affected the Korean community adversely during this time.
While maintaining that the Korea-India bilateral relationship boast of longstanding historical and cultural ties, spanning over two millennia, the ambassador said the two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1973, paving the way for a sound and steady development in bilateral relations across a wide range of areas, including politics, economy and culture.
“As a newly emerging power, India holds vast potential and opportunities for bilateral cooperation. Nearly 700 Korean companies, both big and small, have entered the Indian market and increased their investment. With K-Pop and other Korean Wave contents gaining popularity among the Indian youth, the interest of Indian people in Korean culture and language is steadily growing. In milestone developments, Korean history was included in the Indian school textbooks in 2018 and the Korean language was offered as a foreign language in Indian secondary schools in 2020,” said Chang Jae-bok.
“The signing of the Korea-India Special Strategic partnership in 2015 and the launch of New Southern Policy by President Moon Jae-in Administration in 2017, a policy that is in sync with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s Act East Policy, has led to a turnaround in our bilateral ties. The State Visits of President Moon Jae-in to India in July 2018 and of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Korea in February 2019 have further taken the bilateral ties and friendship between the two countries to a new high,” he added.
Related article: New Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae-bok takes charge on July 21
