The National Day Reception of the Republic of Korea was held on the evening of 29 September, at the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh.
The National Day Reception, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Phnom Penh, was attended by more than 400 participants including members of the Diplomatic Corps, government officials, and members of the Korean community in Cambodia.
His Excellency Park Heung-Kyeong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, recalled in his Opening Remarks that Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen played a key role in restoring the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1997 when he was serving as Cambodia’s Second Prime Minister at that time.
Ambassador Park commended the remarkable advances in the full range of the political, economic, development and cultural fields which Korea and Cambodia have achieved together, such as the Korea-Cambodia FTA; the Preah Ang Duong Hospital; the Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge project; and the recruitment of 46,000 Cambodian workers in Korea, among many other achievements. He also noted that the ratification bill of the Korea-Cambodia FTA has passed the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea this week, and he looked forward to an even further increase in the bilateral trade and investment under the Korea-Cambodia FTA.
His Excellency Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, attended the Reception as a Guest of Honor from the Royal Government of Cambodia. He noted in his Congratulatory Remarks that the re-establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1997 came from the visionary initiative of Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the high-level exchange between the two countries was maintained including Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to Korea in September 2021 and in February 2022, and the direct flight between the two countries continued and boosted people-to-people exchanges. He also expressed his hope that the Cambodia-Korea FTA, of which ratification bill was passed by the Korean National Assembly this week, will further boost the trade and investment between the two countries. He conveyed his appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Korea for taking care of nearly 50,000 Cambodian workers and mixed families residing in Korea.
Following the remarks, a video clip of Busan’s bid for World Expo 2030 was played. The promotional booth for the 2030 World Expo in Busan was also set up in the venue and drew attention from the guests.
As Special Guests at the Reception the Cambodian Taekwondo Team led by Master Choi Yongsok, dispatched by Kukkiwon the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Korea, performed a dynamic Taekwondo demonstration which was followed by a ceremony for the provision of Taekwondo equipment.
On the occasion of the National Day Reception, “Agri-Food Korea 2022” was held at the same venue to promote Korean agricultural products such as Makgeolli (Korean traditional liquor) kits and seasoned laver. The event was co-organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Phnom Penh, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), and aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation).
