Reminiscing 43 years of Sri Lanka Korea Bilateral Ties as Koreans celebrate Korea’s National Day in Sri Lanka
The national day of Korea is celebrated on the 3rd of October of every year in remembrance of the formation of Gojoseon in 2333 BC. And this year the Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka celebrated its first national day with Ambassador Woojin Jeong after he assumed duties in July.
The ambassador said, “Throughout the many years Korea and Sri Lanka have maintained a very close relationship. I love Sri Lanka. I love Sri Lankan people. And I will try my best to deepen and widen the ties between our two countries. Korea and Sri Lanka let’s stay strong together!”
Although an official national day celebration did not take place due to the pandemic, the Korean government released video content on Korea that was broadcast live through several local TV channels.
The Korean Embassy also presented handmade face masks to the police and military personnel who have been actively involved in protecting the locals and Koreans during the height of the pandemic in Sri Lanka. The ambassador said that Sri Lanka and Korea are among the safest countries in the world after having successfully contained the spread of COVID-19. And that Korea is trying to provide further tangible support to combat COVID-19 and uplift public health in Sri Lanka.
The masks presented were designed in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Celine, a local manufacturing enterprise in Sri Lanka. The collaboration with Celine was also a part of the many socially uplifting projects conducted by KOICA to support the quarantining measures implemented in Sri Lanka and generate an income for the local community. Celine is an enterprise that supports the vulnerable local community with 83% of its employees being females with employment restrictions.
Wishing the ambassador and Korea on this day, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said, “Sri Lanka and Korea have shared friendly bilateral relations for 43 years and I believe these ties will continue to strengthen in the years to come”.
Sri Lanka is one of the top 5 countries that have been benefited by the Economic Development Corporation Fund by Korea. The ongoing labour corporation between the two nations is also evidence of the close ties the countries share. Currently, over 23,000 Sri Lankans are employed in Korea and over 3000 continue to seek jobs in Korea annually. The migrant workers who return to Sri Lanka are big influencers in sharing their love for Korea amongst the locals and strengthening economic and social ties between the two nations.
The Korean government has also conducted many projects in Sri Lanka through KOICA in uplifting education, transportation, water, sanitation, etc. The Saemaul Globalization Foundation in Sri Lanka was actively involved in conducting workshops to educate villagers on COVID-19 and donated hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment, and washing facilities to the locals and public institutes. KOICA also organized many projects and donations across various parts in the country, especially targeted at those struggling socially and economically due to the pandemic.
