COLOMBO : Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy of Korea Lee Sang-hwa met with Tharaka Balasuriya Minister of State for Foreign Affairs recently and discussed ways to elevate bilateral cooperation between Korea and Sri Lanka.
Deputy Minister Lee Sang-hwa stated that the purpose of his visit to Sri Lanka is vital as it aims to introduce the ‘Indo-pacific Strategy of the Republic of Korea,’ a comprehensive regional strategy by the Korean government which was unveiled in December 2022, to realize vision to become a Global Pivotal State that actively seeks out agenda for cooperation and shapes discussions in the region and the wider world. Against the backdrop of the numerous challenges faced by the international community, the Indo-pacific strategy reflects Korea’s commitment to working with other key nations to foster a free and peaceful region. In particular, Sri Lanka was chosen as the first country by the Korean government to outreach its ‘Indo pacific strategy’ which demonstrates Korea’s willingness to strengthen Korea-Sri Lanka bilateral ties. Especially as Korea and Sri Lanka celebrated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations last year, this visit is very meaningful to enhance the bilateral friendship.
Reflecting on Public Diplomacy and cultural cooperation, Ambassador and Deputy Minister of Korea also mentioned that on OTT platforms such as Netflix, Korean dramas are among the top ten TV shows in Sri Lanka. This trend indicates the appreciation and admiration of Sri Lankan viewers for Korean culture including music, dramas and films. Also, the adoption of the Korean language into advanced level classes was a timely and commendable decision by the Sri Lankan Government. The Deputy Minister assured that the Korean Government will take initiatives to promote cultural cooperation and exchanges to develop mutual understanding between the two countries.
The Deputy Minister of Korea further stated that the ongoing labour cooperation has provided further impetus for strong bilateral ties between Korea and Sri Lanka. The migrant quota by the Employment Permit Service of Korea for Sri Lanka has expanded by nearly four times just last year.
Tharaka Balasuriya Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stated that the ‘Indo-pacific Strategy of the Republic of Korea shows Korea’s willingness for closer cooperation with the regional states and the strategy can also be a good driving force to expand bilateral relations between Korea and Sri Lanka.
At this critical juncture, a collective response is very important to address the global challenges including the disruption of the supply chains and geopolitical conflicts of the region and beyond.
