Woonjin Jeong, Ambassador of South Korea to Sri Lanka, officially began his duties after presenting his credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a ceremony held at the President’s House on Tuesday.
President Rajapaksa warmly welcomed the newly-appointed Ambassadors of South Korea, Germany, Holy See, and Switzerland to Sri Lanka. He expressed his wish to expand and strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations in line with the foreign policy of the government.
The President wished the Ambassador success in his new assignment as Ambassador of South Korea to Sri Lanka.
Ambassador Woonjin Jeong conveyed the cordial greetings and best wishes from Moon Jae-in, President of South Korea, to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The Ambassador said, “I am deeply impressed by the effective measures taken by the Sri Lankan government to cope with COVID-19. There has been no single infection case among the Korean community in Sri Lanka. On behalf of my country, Korea, I would like to thank the President and the Sri Lankan Government for protecting Korean residents here in Sri Lanka amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Ambassador Woonjin Jeong expressed his gratitude towards the anti-COVID-19 Task Force team, the police, the military, and the medical staff of Sri Lanka for their dedication in combating the coronavirus and protecting the people, including Korean residents in Sri Lanka.
He further stated that the Republic of Korea has also successfully coped with COVID-19 like Sri Lanka, and that there was no single COVID-19 case from around 600 Sri Lankan workers repatriated from Koreauntil now. Twenty-three thousand Sri Lankans live in Korea very safely. He emphasized that Korea and Sri Lanka are among the safest countries in the world at present when it came to the ongoing pandemic.
The Ambassador further stated that since his arrival in July, he has witnessed the post-general election situation in Sri Lanka. He was impressed by the trust placed by the Sri Lankan people on their government, and in turn the government has displayed more confidence based on the public trust to implement policies effectively.
The Ambassador assured President Rajapaksa that during his tenure, he would like to contribute to the realisation of the vision of the government of Sri Lanka, “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”—to help it a great success.
The Ambassador further stated that he pays attention to the key fields of FDI, export, tourism, and expansion of migrant workers that Sri Lanka has placed priority in. The Ambassador recalled that he invited and greeted the first batch of Sri Lankan migrant workers who departed to Korea last week at the Korean Embassy before their departure. It was a great occasion that marked the re-initiation of the bilateral labour cooperation, which was suspended due to the COVID-19.
Sri Lankan migrant workers have significantly contributed to the economic development of both countries. He noted that they remitted a substantial amount of 520 million USD from Korea to Sri Lanka in 2019.
The Ambassador concluded his remarks by reiterating the strong friendship shared between the two countries.
The Ambassador takes this opportunity to further strengthen the long-standing friendly ties and work with the Sri Lankan government closely. The Ambassador was accompanied by his spouse, Soojung Hahn, at the ceremony.