-In the hopes of strengthening further ties between their respective countries and the Republic of Korea
Diplomatic Corps. sent their New Year Messages to the NDNnews (www.ndnnews.co.kr)
& The Seoulcity magazine in the hopes of strengthening further ties between their
respective countries and the Republic of Korea in 2018 as follows. -Ed.
H.E. Ramzi Teymurov, Amb. of Azerbaijan
Dear Friends,
As another year passes and we begin to move into 2018, it is with great pleasure that
I convey greetings to each of you on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
and myself. 2018 is important for my country, as we are going to celebrate the 100years
anniversary ofthe Republic of Azerbaijan. I am confident that in 2018 bilateral relations
between our two countries will expand and strengthen and the contactsbetween our
nations will increase.
I hope that 2018 will be remembered as a very productive year.
I would like to thank you for being with us throughout 2017 and I would like to take this
opportunity to wish you and your families wellbeing, happiness and prosperity.
Let the New Year be peaceful and prosperous for the friendly nation of Korea and world
at large. Happy New Year!
Belarus Amb. Andrei Popkov
Dear readers,
2017 has been a very productive year in bilateral relations of the Republic Belarus and
the Republic of Korea. This year our countries has celebrated 25th anniversary of
establishing diplomatic relations.
We are happy to note that this solemn occasion has been marked with a considerable
number of successful major events.
In April we held the 2nd meeting of Joint Belarus – Korea Committee on Science and
Technology Cooperation that summarized our achievements and set new goals for our
dynamic bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology.
Belarus – Korea Investment and Economic Forum, which was held in May, became a great
opportunity for Korean business community to learn more about the prospects of
cooperation with Belarus and to establish direct contacts with the Belarusian business
partners and associations. A number of meaningful visits of high ranking Belarusian
government officials to the Republic of Korea over this year reflect consistent and fruitful
cooperation between our countries in the fields of economy, science and technology,
IT and industry.
This year has marked a final stage of preparation for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic
Games to be held in Pyeongchang in early 2018. The Embassy has been following the
preparation process closely and we are sure that upcoming Olympics will be a great
success not only for Korea but for a world community.
Belarus sportsmen will take part in the competitions and we hope that Games in
Pyeongchang will be successful for them as well.
Moreover, in 2019 Belarus is hosting 2nd European Games and we hope to learn a lot from
the experience of our Korean colleagues who put so much effort in the successful holding
of the Olympics.
The year of 2017 is very important for Belarusian culture as it marks the 500th anniversary
of the Belarusian book printing. Francysk Skaryna, an outstanding Belarusian scientist,
philosopher and enlightener, was the first one in Belarus and the Eastern Europe to
translate and publish biblical texts in Cyrillic script. To commemorate this important
occasion the 20-volume anniversary facsimile collection of Skaryna’s books has been given to the National Library of Korea. This collection represents rich
cultural heritage of Belarus and includes detailed commentaries in English to every book.
I am confident that such occasions help people of our countries to learn more about
the culture of both nations.
The Embassy of the Republic of Belarus will do its utmost in
amplifying Belarus – Korea cooperation with new mutually
beneficial initiatives and projects in various areas and building
new links of cooperation between peoples of our countries. I hope
that newly established Presidential Committee on Northern
Economic Cooperation will contribute to the strengthening of ties
between Korea and EAEU states, including Belarus.
Let me take this wonderful opportunity to wish happy and
prosperous New Year 2018 to the people of Belarus and Korea
and to all readers and team of "Seoul City Magazine".
Andrei Popkov, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Korea
H.E. MR. PETAR ANDONOV, AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC
OF BULGARIA TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
It is an auspicious privilege for me to address the readers of the
Seoul City Magazine on the occasion of the New Year.
2017 was a very intensive year in the relations between the
Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea. The main political
pillars for the bilateral cooperation in that year were the official
visit of then President of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Dimitar Glavchev to the Republic of Korea
in August 2017 and the official visit of the Prime-Minister of the Republic of Korea H.E. Mr. Lee Nak-yeon in the Republic of Bulgaria in October 2017. These high-level visits provided an unique opportunity to open up a new
chapter of the successful bilateral Comprehensive and Future-Oriented Partnership. For the year 2018 I expect more exchanges
in the field of IT, automotive industry, defense cooperation, trade
& investment, science and technology, culture and education.
In conclusion, I would like to wish a good health, success and
happiness to all readers and journalists from The Seoul City Magazine.
Costa Rica Ambassador Rodolfo SOLANO Quirós
As we conclude the 2017 year, we can celebrate a highly fruitful year as
a result of the effective process of implementation of the Comprehensive
Cooperation Partnership. We have recognized each other as best friends
and partners in our respective regions. This year commemorated the
55th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations
between Costa Rica and Korea, through the continued strengthening
of our bilateral relations, amounting to a high volume of visits exchanged
between our authorities at all levels, whereby various local and national
institutions have signed many agreements to work further on cooperation
initiatives. In the 2018 year, Costa Rica will promote efforts in
strategically placing the Republic of Korea as its preferred like-minded partner in many areas of common interest while continuing
to promote green initiatives, local government cooperation, FTA
derivatives, and further strengthening of bilateral and multilateral
ties between our nations.
Czech Amb. Tomas Husak
As Ambassador of the Czech Republic
to Republic of Korea, I
feel really privileged to be able to
experience the natural beauty
of the land of the morning calm and the friendliness and hospitality
of the Korean people, learning many lessons from Korea´s history,
traditions and culture.
I am very glad that through activities of our Embassy Korean
people can learn about Czech history, tradition and culture. Thank
to our two years old Strategic Partnership our countries are
enjoying excellent relations in trade, culture, education, and
number of other fields of activities.
Anyhow, I do consider as most important human exchange
between our people, being it University Professors, students,
artists, businessman or tourists and I am very happy that more
than 350 thousand of Korean tourists visited our country last year.
I would like to wish to Korean people all the best and happy
and prosperous New Year.
EU Amb. Michael Reiterer
2018 will bring a head start for Korea: the PyeongChang
Winter Olympics and Paralympics will keep the
country on the toes. Coming from a city which has
organised the Olympics twice, Innsbruck, and
representing the Union where the Games originate,
Greece in ancient times and France in modern times,
I hope that the Olympic truce declared by the United
Nations will contribute to peaceful games. While f
ascinated by the performances of professional
sportspersons we should not forget that those with
deficiencies in the Paralympics will make tremendous
efforts. 2018 marks 55 years of EU-Korea diplomatic relations, the presidents will
meet for a bilateral summit, the FTA will continue t
o provide us a solid base for enhancing the
economic relationship. This will focus attention
on this mature relationship which can also handle
challenges. In terms of politics the EU supports
efforts to find peaceful and diplomatic relations.
All the best to all readers for a prosperous year.
Michael REITERER
Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union
to the Republic of Korea
Finland Amb. Eero Suominen’s New Year Message
“Year 2017 has been very important for Finland. It is
the 100 years anniversary of our independence.
During the year 2017 the relations between the
Republic of Korea and Finland have been excellent.
I am also delighted that the country brand of Finland
in Korean is very good. During the year 2017 we
have had among other things a visit of the Speaker
of the Finnish parliament Mrs. Maria Lohela and her
delegation to Korea in September . We have had
several visits by Finnish ministers, other high
officials and delegations. Korea is the third biggest
trade partner in Asia for the Finns. The trade r
elations between our countries have developed in
a positive way, especially service sector. Also the
co—operation between the Finnish and Korean
universities is very active.It is good to know that
aSSIST ( a Soul Integrated Science and Technology)
has had a MBA programme with Aalto University
for 23 years and the amount of Korean alumni who
have taken this course is nearly 4000. In the
coming year 2018 there will be Pyeongchang
Winter Olympics. I am sure they are going to be
a success. I hope that the Olympics increases the
interest to winter sports among Koreans. I also hope
that the Finns are beginning to find Korea as an
interesting and fascinating target for tourism.”
New Year Message of the Ambassador of Georgia to the
Republic of Korea
By H.E. Otar Berdzenishi, Georgia Amb.
2017 has been significant year for our countries. It
marked 25th Anniversary since Establishment of the Diplomatic
Relations between Georgia and the Republic of Korea. The
protocol has been signed on December 14, 1992. In this quarter
of century our countries established diplomatic missions in the
respective capitals, highest ranking visits has been exchanged,
in this regard special attention should be given to the
exemplary interparliamentary relations. Our governments have
contributed to deepen and straighten existing cooperation on
the bilateral and multilateral levels over the past few years.
Korean citizens enjoy visa-free travel to Georgia for 360 days.
It worth mentioning that
Professor Cho Ju-kwan from Yonsei University and Professor
Mr. Hur Seung Chul
from Korea University made an important contribution to the
popularization of our culture by translating into Korean language
12th century Georgian epic poem of Shota Rustaveli "the
Knight in the Tiger's Skin". Two separate books were
published in 2016 and 2017.
Allow me to use this opportunity and wish better
and successful year - 2018 for our countries, I am definitely assured
that with our mutual cooperation existing relations will be deepen
and various opportunities will be created for the benefit of our people.
BY H.E. DIFIE AGYARKO KUSI (MRS.),
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.
I presented my credentials to President
Moon Jae-in on 2nd November 2017 and we had
the chance to touch
briefly on the strong and cordial relations that have existed
between our two countries over the last forty years. We hope
for even more of the same in the next forty.
With that bright hope shining on our collective path, I, on behalf
of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the people of the Ghana, together with the entire staff of
the Embassy, would like to take this opportunity to wish the
President, his family and all the people of the Republic of Korea,
a joyous and restful season, as well as a peaceful and hugely
prosperous New Year.
Dear Compatriots and Friends,
As another year passes and we begin to move into 2018, it is
with great pleasure that I convey my warmest greetings to each
and everyone of you. 2017 proved to be another excellent year
for our bilateral relations. We hosted a number of high-ranking official visits to Republic of Korea and, in November,
welcomed President Moon Jae-in to Indonesia in his first ever State Visit.
President Moon Jae-in and President Joko Widodo have agreed to elevate the
status of Indonesia – South Korea relations into a Special
Strategic Partnership that ushers in a new chapter of working
together for peace and prosperity, based on shared principles
and values of democracy and human rights. I thank you for
being with us throughout 2017. I also like to take this
opportunity to wish you and your families wellbeing, happiness
and prosperity. I hope that in 2018 bilateral relations between
our two countries will be even more productive and fruitful.
Sincerely, (signed)
Umar Hadi, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia
H.E. Ambassador Adel Adaileh, Ambassador of t
he Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
On the occasion of the New Year, it is my great
pleasure to extend to the government and the
people of the Republic of Korea my best wishes
for a happy and prosperous 2018, as well as
further success for “Seoul City Magazine.”
The relations between Jordan and Korea witnessed
an outstanding shift during the past years, with
our two countries establishing a strategic
friendship 55 years ago, the relations based
on mutual respect and a close cooperation in all fields.
And now, I see the people-to-people ties between
our two countries are
strengthening further, with active exchanges and inter-societal contacts in educational, cultural and
tourism sectors, all of which encourage us to
broaden channels of communication and open up
more opportunities to pursue mutually beneficial
projects in various fields.
I look very much forward to working with the
government and the private sectors of Korea to
further strengthen what we have accomplished so
far, and I strongly believe that in the coming years,
we may also find new areas of meaningful
cooperation, given the ever so close relationship
between our two countries.
Happy New Year 2018!
Latvia Amb. Peteris Vaivars |
New Year’s Message to the Readers of Seoul City Magazine
On behalf of the Republic of Latvia it is my great honour
to extend the warmest wishes for the New Year 2018. This
year will be special for Korea because of the Winter
Olympic Games to be held in PyeongChang and it will
be a very special year for Latvia because of the celebration
of the 100th Anniversary of the country.
We will kick-off the celebration by the first ever visit
of the President of the Republic of Latvia to the beautiful
country Korea in February 2018. Many other events like
exhibitions, concerts, movie screenings, book publishing
and others will follow not to say about hundreds of events
which will take place in Latvia.
Please stay tuned to Latvian channels not to miss any of the
important events. Let’s make year 2018 The Year of Latvia
in Korea! Happy New Year for everyone and welcome to Latvia!
H.E. Libya Amb. Otman S.S. Ahbara
New Year Message of H.E Mr Chafik RACHADI,
Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco
To the Republic of Korea
It is with great pleasure that I convey, in the name of the
staff members of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco
in Seoul and in my own name, our sincere New Year’s greetings to the People and to the Government of the
Republic of Korea.
By welcoming 2018, we're looking forward to a year with
many highlights in our ever improving bilateral relations,
and we will continue to work together to identify
greater opportunities to strengthen our relation ties
on mutual areas of interest.
May Kingdom of Morocco and Republic of Korea
enjoy greater prosperity, progress and peace in this New Year.
Oman Amb. Mohamed Alharthy Dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps. |
On the occasion of the New Year 2018, I’m pleased at the outset to
express my sincere and best wishes to
President
Moon Jae-in, the government, and the people of the republic of Korea
for good health, everlasting success and prosperous in the coming years.
It is also my sincere hope that the cordial relation and cooperation
between Korea and my country, the Sultanate of Oman will flourish
and prosper to further extent. I am keen to do so and together we
can grow deep roots, bear rich fruits, enhance, and widen our
relation and cooperation. I also would like to congratulate the
NDN news and Seoul City Magazine for the success that has been
achieved last year and this year. With no doubt that NDN news
and Seoul City Magazine would serve as a deeper understanding
of the vision and national agenda of the Korean government and
much more outreach, cultural exchange and cooperation across
the world and its readers.
I also would like to take this opportunity to wish Korea successful
hosting of Pyeongchang Winter Olympic 2018 and to be Olympic
of Peace and ICT. We hope it will contribute to promote stability
and peace on Korean peninsula and the world.
Wish you all the best and continuous success in the coming years.
Mohamed Alharthy
Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman
to the Republic of Korea
H.E. Philippines Amb. Raul S. Hernandez
It is with great pleasure that I extend my heartiest New Year
felicitations to the readers of Seoul City Magazine!
As I look back to 2017, I wish to express deep appreciation
for the enduring friendship and partnership between the
Philippines and Korea, and the renewed commitment and
support for stronger and deeper bilateral cooperation and exchanges.
I am confident that 2018 will be another testament to the
deep ties and mutual understanding between the Philippines
and Korea. With the successful bilateral meeting between
President Rodrigo Duterte and President Moon Jae-in in Manila in November of last year, we can look
forward to enhanced people-to-people exchanges and
expanded partnerships in trade and
investment in the fields of manufacturing, automotive, food
production and processing, agribusiness, electronics and
energy. We can also expect the strengthening of our
cooperation in defense and security, humanitarian assistance
and international peacekeeping.
It is my fervent hope that broader engagement between
the Philippines and Korea will greatly benefit both of our
countries and peoples this year and in the years to come. Mabuhay!
Saudi Arabia Amb. Riyad A.H. Almubaraky
On the occasion of the 2018 New Year, I would like to
extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to the
Korean Government and the people.
I am also pleased on this occasion to express with pride and
praise the distinguished bilateral relations between the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea,
which was established on October 16, 1962, and
witnessed through its long history continuous development
and cooperation in every field. Such bilateral relations
are considered as a model of close friendship among nations.
Last October, the two countries celebrated the 55th
Anniversary of the establishment of distinguished
diplomatic and historical relations.
The next era will witness further cooperation between
the two countries after selecting the Republic of Korea as
a strategic cooperative partner to participate in implementing
the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to diversify industries and decrease reliance on oil.
New Year Message of H.E. Manisha Gunasekera,
Ambassador of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea enjoy strong bonds of
friendship and cooperation enriched by cultural ties
spanning centuries. Year 2017 was especially important
as it marked the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between the two countries. This important milestone was
celebrated with the state visit to Korea by the President of
Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena in November 2017, when he also visited Seoul City.
Parallel to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of independence
of Sri Lanka on 4 February 2018, the Sri Lanka Embassy has
lined up several events in Seoul to showcase Sri Lanka’s many attractions, including a Food Festival, a photographic
exhibition and a promotion of Ceylon tea. We hope the
people of Seoul will enjoy these wonderful events. I wish
Seoul city and everyone a happy and productive 2018.
Sudan Amb. Mohamad Abdelaal Haroon |
The New Year
with Great Expectations
It gives me great pleasure on the eve of the New Year 2018,
to extend my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to the friendly
people of the Republic of Korea. I wish them every success, peace
and prosperity under the wise leadership of H.E. President Moon Jae-in.
We shall continue actively our endeavors during 2018, for further
consolidating and promoting of the bilateral relations, so happily
existing between our two close friendly countries, the Republic
of the Sudan and the Republic of Korea. Many activities and
programmes will take place, chief among them is the convening
of the 7th Round of High Level Policy Consultation Committee in
Seoul, exchange visits of the officials as well as finalizing and
signing of MOU in the field of E. Government and enhancing
cooperation in the field of science and technology.
Encouraged by the open foreign policy, adopted by H.E.
President Moon Jae-in and together with many positive
developments in Sudan like the revocation of the economic
sanctions which have been imposed since 1997, top priority
will be given to the economic and trade relations during 2018
and the following years. The two countries can possibly make
an exemplary cooperation in this field. Sudan has numerous
economic potentialities in many sectors e.g. agriculture,
agro-industry, minerals, oil, animal resources and tourism
while the Republic of Korea has modern technology, capital
and well trained human resources.
However, there are many opportunities for large scale investments
and Korea can make use from the strategic geographical position
of the Sudan and its membership in the Common Market of
East and South Africa (COMESA) and Arab Free Zone as
trade hub for Korean products.
H.E. President Moon Jae-in has declared an open foreign
policy towards all countries without exclusion. This policy will
eventually encourage the two friendly countries to work
vigorously to enhance their ties. In 2018, many Korean companies
will participate in the next session of Khartoum International
Fair “KIF”, which will take place in January 2018. This is another
encourage and positive signs, however inclusiveness and
openness will contribute in charting a brighten future for the
two countries. I reiterate my hope and heartfelt wishes to the
two friendly countries of every success, peace, stability and prosperity.
Mohamed Abdelaal, Ambassador of Sudan