Ambassador of South Korea to Sri Lanka, Santhush Woonjin says he is hopeful that more Korean companies and tourists will arrive in Sri Lanka to seek business opportunities and to enjoy the charm and beauty of the island.
He made this remark in a statement issued in view of the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and South Korea.
In his communiqué, the ambassador said: “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977, our relationship has been robust. Korea and Sri Lanka have many common factors such as similar geographical location and historical experiences that have contributed to a deeper mutual understanding. Based on this mutual understanding and trust, our two countries have been continuing to establish solid cooperation in various fields such as agriculture, fabrics, culture, automobile industry, labour cooperation and become key partners in the fields of economy, trade and investment.”
With regard to trade and investment between Korea and Sri Lanka, which continue to become an important pillar between the two nations, Mr. Woonjin said Korea has considered Sri Lanka as an important economic, trade and investment partner.
“In 2020, the volume of exports from Sri Lanka to Korea has increased 10 percent from USD 100 million in 2019 to USD 110 million 2020. This increase is an exceptional case amid the worldwide economic depression due to COVID -19 pandemic,” he added.
The ambassador said Korea is extremely keen on boosting two-way trade and investment in ways that benefit the economies of both countries. Like Korea’s economic miracle, so-called ‘The Miracle on Han River,’ I strongly believe that Sri Lanka will also be transformed to ‘The Miracle on Kelani River.’
He noted that it is the right time for Sri Lanka to change and take a leap to a higher level, assuring that Korea will be with Sri Lanka as a reliable friend in this journey of achieving economic prosperity.
Speaking on the field of education, Mr. Woonjin said there has been a growing interest in Korean language among Sri Lankan people. “Korean language has officially been adopted as a foreign language in the Advanced Level curriculum from 2021 and students can sit for the Korean language examination in the university entrance examination by 2023.”
In his statement, the ambassador also spoke of the Korean government’s recent decision to resume entry of new Sri Lankan workers and workers from other foreign countries in the near future. “23,000 Sri Lankan workers are presently employed in Korea, contributing to the economic advancement of both countries. They have transmitted around $520 million to Sri Lanka in 2019. The Korean government applies the rule of ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ to all the workers, regardless of their nationality. The EPS centre in Colombo has contributed to the facilitation of migrant employment and promotes bilateral labour relations. Sri Lankan employees in the Republic of Korea are a great asset to strengthen economic and commercial ties of both countries.”
Further, he noted that the public health cooperation between Korea and Sri Lanka has been robust and strengthening anti-COVID collaboration under the “Stay Strong” campaign initiated by the Korean government.
Stating that the strengthened public health cooperation and successful vaccination drive in Sri Lanka have shown positive results will reduce the number of COVID-19 cases reports, the ambassador said, in terms of anti-COVID support, the Korean government has provided test kits worth USD 300,000 in 2020. This year, in partnership with UNICEF, the Korean government donated USD 230,000 worth of anti-COVID-19 face masks to Sri Lanka in and USD 500,000 worth of anti-COVID-19 items was donated to Sri Lanka.
The ambassador is hopeful that the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations would be a great opportunity for the two Asian nations to redouble their efforts to attain regional peace and prosperity.
He reiterated his sincere willingness to do his best to upgrade the bilateral relationship between the two nations.
