On the eve of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Korea at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, UzA Correspondent Saidmurod Rakhimov interviewed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Korea to Uzbekistan, Mr. Kang Jae Kwon.

– “We are peoples whose leaders of state call each other friends, like brothers, countries develop in close cooperation. We all sincerely respect, love each other very much, wish happiness and prosperity to our peoples!” – This was the content of my unplanned short congratulatory speech, which I was invited to deliver not so long ago at a dinner in the presence of high-ranking officials from the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

To be honest, this is what I experience every day, living in Uzbekistan for the past three years as a diplomat from the Republic of Korea. And the background of all this is still mysterious. How could this be possible in just 30 years, when leaders of state freely call each other friends, like brothers, and governments and peoples thousands of kilometers away respect each other so much?

Generosity and condescension to a dear guest; the same perception that elders should be respected, which is focused on such an understanding as “Mahalla” or in Korean “Maul” (마을), which is very similar in pronunciation and understanding; education of the next generation and a kind heart, first of all, caring for needy neighbors – these are similar traditions and customs between our countries, which became the basis for this rapprochement. And as the fresco in the Afrasiab Museum in Samarkand shows, diplomatic exchanges took place about 1400 years ago; the government and business of the Republic of Uzbekistan, even before the establishment of diplomatic relations, chose Korean companies as partners; the Korean diaspora, playing the role of a bridge between the two peoples, and reciprocity from the very beginning of diplomatic relations – all this became possible thanks to the dedication of many people, starting with my senior diplomat colleagues, who did their best.

Currently, the government of the Republic of Korea is seeking a second step in cooperation with the Republic of Uzbekistan on the national philosophy of the “New Northern Policy”, and, accordingly, many people, even at the moment, are working hard to make these dreams and hopes a reality.

Even the pandemic could not stop our warm feelings. Flights between Seoul and Tashkent never stopped, even when the world was completely locked up due to the coronavirus; and the crisis caused by this virus has become a good opportunity to multiply the speed of cooperation in healthcare and medicine, projects of which have been promoted for several years. Physical limitations were overcome by expanding IT collaboration, and overseas travel difficulties were overcome by increasing the number of meetings through online conferences.

I think that cooperation and mutual assistance between the two countries are best reflected in the four summits in four years that the presidents of our two countries have held even during an emergency, in a pandemic. I think the upcoming summit will bring together the remarkable events of the past 30 years, in the post-corona era, many concrete achievements have been made in all areas of politics, economy, society, culture, science and technology. It is also expected that we, as members of the international community, will present a vision that will contribute to the future of humanity.

Kang Jae Kwon,

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 

of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Uzbekistan