President George Vella received the Letters of Credence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Seong Ho Lee, at Sant’Anton Palace today.
During the exchanges, President Vella referred to the incremental strengthening of relations between to the two countries over almost six decades, which in spite of the geographical distance have remained close and based on mutual respect and common values. The President welcomed the tangible cooperation that exists between the EU and the Republic of Korea as strategic partners in the digital and cyber fields, maritime governance, trade, transport and research and innovation. The participation of both Malta and Korea in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) also provides an excellent platform to enhance multilateral relations.
Ambassador Ho Lee conveyed his commitment to further consolidating exchanges with Malta, adding that momentum has been gained considerably before the COVID pandemic. The Ambassador added that recent figures related to the sectors of trade, tourism, tertiary education, English language studies, and people-to-people exchanges are very encouraging, and that pre-COVID levels could be reached in the short term. In conclusion, Ambassador Ho Lee also referred to the bid by the Republic of Korea to host the World EXPO in the city of Busan in 2030.
