New Delhi: South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, who is on a two-day visit to India from Friday, introduced himself in Hindi as he spoke on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. "Namaste, aap logo se mil kar accha laga. Mera naam Park Jin hain. Main Korea ka foreign minister hun... (Hello, it feels good to meet you. My name is Park Jin and I am the Foreign Minister of South Korea," he said. The South Korean Foreign Minister’s visit aims to make "substantive progress" in the special strategic partnership between the two countries.
“This year India and South Korea marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. India is a very important country in our Indo-Pacific strategy. South Korea was to play its roles and responsibilities to contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. In that sense India is our essential partner. India and South Korea have mutual interest and possibilities of our greater cooperation for the future,” Park Jin said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
“We are now living in a very challenging time. The supply chain disruptions, and the global, technological competition, Covid-19 pandemic, Ukraine war, climate crisis…all these challenges cannot be solved by one country alone and we need cooperation among the countries that have core values like democracy, free markets, and human rights. India is a very important country to South Korea in that sense,” the minister added.
Speaking on India’s G20 presidency, Park Jin said, “India has a very important responsibility to coordinate the various interests of the members of G20 countries and also the voices of the other non-G20 countries...Korea would be very happy to work together with India.”
Talking about Indian cinema and the Oscar-winning 'Naatu Naatu' song, the minister said, ""Naatu Naatu" dance is really popular in Korea. I saw the movie myself, it is a fantastic movie... I love Bollywood movies. I saw 3 Idiots and Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express is also one of my favourite movies."
It is to be noted that Park Jin is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi later in the evening. The South Korean foreign minister is also scheduled to call on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
"The upcoming meeting is the first one between the two ministers as they mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and India this year," a South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson had earlier said, adding, “In the meeting, the two sides will discuss ways to make substantive progress in the Special Strategic Partnership between Korea and India, which is a key country in the region that shares values with Korea.”
After his meeting with the External Affairs Minister and Vice-President, Park Jin is scheduled to leave for Chennai on Saturday, as per reports.