South Korea, Malaysia Mark 50th Anniversary in Bilateral Relations
The year 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Malaysia. Over the past half a century, the two countries have promoted their friendship, cooperating in various areas such as the economic, social, cultural and human exchange fields.
The 50th anniversary was commemorated with receptions hosted in the respective capitals on Feb. 23, 2010. In Seoul, the Event of the 50th Anniversary of Korea-Malaysia Amity 2010 was held at Seoul Palace Hotel on Feb. 23 with more than 250 invitees attending. Among them were Rep. Mr. Song, Young-gil, Chairman of the Korea-Malaysia Parliamentarian Friendship Association, Rep. Mr. Kim Sung-soo,Grand National Party, Mr. Jang Bok-yeol, President of Multi-cultural Community Forum, Ambassador Cho Young-jai, Secretary-General of ASEAN-Korea Centre and Mr. Namgung Min, President of Korea Post
In his welcoming address, Malaysian Ambassador Dato' Ramlan Ibrahim expressed his sincere appreciation and gratitude to the organizer of the event, the North-East Asia Forum, the Multi-Cultural Community and the sponsors who have generously come together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Malaysia and the Republic of Korea diplomatic relations.
“We have come a long way today. In those early formative years of our nation building, we had the foresight of looking at each other, exploring the emerging opportunities as we consolidate our newly acquired status as independent and sovereign states. 50 years ago, it was a different Malaysia and a different Republic of Korea,”Amb. Dato' Ramlan Ibrahim said.
Pointing out that the Republic of Korea like Malaysia is a young nation and as such the countries will rely on foreign assistance in certain fields of their respective national endeavours, he expressed hope that with experience and greater determination and effort the time will not be long before the two achieve their national objectives and aspirations.
“The Embassy of Malaysia in the Republic of Korea has only recently been established and it is my fervent hope that its establishment marks a new era in Korea-Malaysia relations. Though our relationship is already very cordial I would like to see the strengthening of these ties whether they are political, economic or cultural. These are common factors which can form as a basis for the strengthening of our relationship. Both Malaysia and Korea are young nations with a strong belief in the principles of democracy. Both nations have had a colonial past and are presently under Communist threat,” he said. His remarks also defined Malaysia’s foreign policy orientation by saying that “We feel that no country has the right to interfere with the internal policies of another country and hence Malaysia is determined to defend this sacred principle at all cost. “
In celebration and commemoration of this 50th anniversary, Korea Post and its Malaysian counterpart, Pos Malaysia Bhd have issued through joint works undertaken over one year, a joint stamp featuring tigers of the two countries. Being endangered throughout the world, tigers vary slightly in their size, color of fur and shapes of stripes, depending on their subspecies.
The Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), shown in the stamp as roaming the snow-covered forest of pine trees, is also known as the Korean tiger, Amur tiger or Manchuria tiger.
Having adapted to the cold environment in frigid as well as temperate zones, it is bulky and biggest in size among the tiger subspecies, with its fur being long and pale colored. In contrast, the Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), inhabiting the southern section of the Malaysian peninsula, is the smallest, along with the Sumatra tigers, in its size, as a result of adaptation to the jungle environment. Its fur is also shorter and more densely colored, in comparison to the Siberian TigerBusy KL-Seoul diplomatic calendar in 50th year of ties
It will be a busy year for Malaysia and South Korea with a host of events planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Topping the list is a planned visit by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sometime in the middle of the year. It will be his first to Malaysia since assuming the presidency in 2008.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will also reciprocate the visit.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan recently visited Malaysia and met with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and lay the bilateral groundwork for the year.
<from http://www.eseoulpost.com>