Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Korean National Foundation Day and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were celebrated on Monday at Jeddah's Inter.Continental Hotel in the presence of numerous Saudi officials and members of the diplomatic community. On this important occasion, Consul General of the Republic of Korea Yong-gi Shin organized a photo exhibit showcasing the history of diplomatic relations between the two countries that were established on Oct. 16, 1962. He also expressed his sincere gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal for their hospitality, cooperation and continuous support in strengthening bilateral relations. He added: “Korea lost its independence for about 35 years and suffered a devastating war in the last century. “However, the hardworking spirit of our people and a proactive open-door policy of the government successfully transformed a war-stricken agrarian country into one of the most dynamic economies and democracies. “Since 2011, Korea has become the 15th largest economy with the 8th largest exporting volume. “Currently, it is the world's leading country in shipbuilding, manufacturing of screen displays and computer memory chips. “Korea was also the first emerging country to host a G20 Summit (Seoul 2010). “Furthermore, the country hosted the 4th high-level 2011 forum on aid effectiveness in Busan and the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.” After highlighting his country's latest economic and political achievements, Shin reminded his guests of Korea's past and present contributions to the Kingdom's modernization and emphasized the booming bilateral economic and cultural relations since King Abdullah's historic visit to Korea in 1998 when he was Crown Prince. Shin said: “In the 70s and 80s, Korean construction workers exerted great efforts with Saudi companions to modernize the infrastructure of the Kingdom so that various monumental buildings, industrial facilities and highways across the country could be constructed. “The revenues and experiences of those Korean companies in Saudi Arabia helped Korea to emerge as one of significant industrial countries in the world. “After almost two decades of absence, there are today more than 100 companies engaging in the execution of techno-intensive projects such as power generation, desalination and petrochemical plants. “High quality Korean products such as ICT equipment and automobiles are gaining confidence among Saudi consumers.” According to Shin, in 2011 the total trade volume between the two countries reached $45 billion. Korea imported oil and petrochemical products equivalent to about $37 billion from the Kingdom while it exported industrial and consumable goods amounting to $6.9 billion. Shin also underlined important cooperation initiatives in the field of education and stressed the increase in Saudi tourists to Korea and consequent re-establishment in the near future of a direct flight to connect the two countries. He said: “More than 200 Saudi students benefiting from the King Abdullah Scholarship are studying at various Korean universities and the number of Saudi students in Korea is increasing. “Korea is also rising as a prospective tourist destination in the Far East for Saudi citizens. “In consideration of these developments, Korea-Air has decided to resume its direct flight between Korea and the Kingdom in November this year after a 15-year suspension since 1997.” The celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Saudi-Korean diplomatic relations started with the visit to Saudi Arabia of Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, who was invited as a guest of honor to the opening of the 2012 Janadriyah Festival, and a delegation of Saudi officials' visit to the 2012 Seoul International Book Festival. The anniversary will continue to be commemorated throughout the year.
