Ambs’ 2019 New Year Message

The Seoul Diplomatic Corps. sent their New Year Messages to the NDNnews(www.ndnnews.co.kr) & The Seoulcity Magazine as follows in the hopes to strengthen bilateral ties between Korea & respective countries in 2019, wrapping up their impressive observation regarding the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games as well as Korean peninsula's lasting peace initiatives etc. in 2018, to name just a few-Ed

H.E Mohammed El Amine Derragui

Algeria’s Ambassador New Year Message

“On the occasion of the New Year 2019, I would like to convey my warmest greetings to the Korean people and the readers of your magazine for a new year full of happiness, wellbeing and prosperity.

This year 2018 witnessed an important event for the bilateral relations between Algeria and the Republic of Korea with the Official visit paid from 16 to 18 December by HE. The Prime Minister of South Korea Mr. LEE Nak-yon. This visit marked the revival of the political bilateral dialogue and opened new prospects for the incoming year 2019 for the reinforcement of the relations of cooperation in the framework of the Strategic Partnership that links our two countries since 2006.

For the year 2019; the two countries are expected to hold a session of the Joint Committee which will adopt a new guideline of cooperation between Korea and Algeria and evaluate globally the bilateral prospects.

While I renew my congratulations and my greetings, I express the wish for the whole Korean Peninsula of a future of peace and stability”.

New Year Message for the NDN news & The Seoul City Magazine

On this joyous occasion of the New Year 2019, I extend my warmest felicitations to the friendly people and the Government of the Republic of Korea. May this New Year bring further peace, progress, and prosperity to them. I hope that the initiatives taken by H.E. President Moon Jae-in would lead to sustainable peace in the region this year and beyond.

In 2018, we have witnessed greater engagement between Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea in various sectors and are looking forward to enhancing the same between our two friendly nations in 2019 with a view to taking our relations to a new height.

I deeply appreciate the joint efforts of NDN News and The Seoul City Magazine for bring out this special issue at the beginning of every year and also giving me this wonderful opportunity to convey our best wishes for a happy and successful new year to all our friends who are associated with these two eminent media platforms.

I wish everyone a great New Year 2019!

Abida Islam

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

to the Republic of Korea

Dear readers,

2018 has been a special year for Korean peninsula in terms of the summits that created the basis for dialogue on peace and security in the region. These positive movements have been welcomed by the Belarusian Government as tremendous steps towards ensuring stability and peaceful progress in North-East Asia. I sincerely hope next 2019 year will be also marked by the important developments that may contribute to achieving the long-standing peace and prosperity.

In 2018 the cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Korea has been developed in different areas. A number of events such as the 5th Session of the Joint Committee of the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Korea, Belarus-Korea business round-table, scientific exchanges were held. Three new joint projects were fulfilled within the framework of Korea – Belarus IT Cooperation Center opened in Minsk.

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games brought new sport achievements and sensations to Belarus. Most of these outcomes became possible thank to the Korean successful hosting of the Games.

The Belarusian Side introduced 30 days visa-free entry regime to Korean citizens in 2018. We hope that in 2019 even more Koreans will use this opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our country, its rich cultural and historical heritage, so the people of Belarus and Korea will become closer to each other. I believe that the relations between our countries will be strengthened over the new year for the sake of well-being of our nations.

Let me take this wonderful occasion to wish all of you happy and prosperous New Year 2019.

Andrei Popkov

Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus

to the Republic of Korea

H.E. Belgium Amb. Peter Lescouhier to the Republic of Korea

A new year brings new opportunities, new challenges and new partnerships. For 2019, I hope to see the Korean peninsula turn into a place of permanent peace,with decisive steps towards complete, irreversible and internationally verified denuclearization by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. On a bilateral level the new year will be a historic opportunity to strengthen the already close ties between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Belgium thanks to the State Visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde at the end of March. I wish all your readers the very best for a happy 2019!

Costa Rica Ambassador Rodolfo SOLANO QUIRÓS

As we conclude the 2018 year, we celebrate a year of accomplishments and fulfillment of objectives. We continue to foment our relations towards a new era where we have become the best of friends and strategic partners in our respective regions. This year commemorated the 56th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between Costa Rica and Korea, through the continued strengthening of our bilateral relations, concluding successfully a high volume of visits exchanged between our authorities at all levels, whereby various local and national institutions have signed many agreements to work further on cooperation initiatives. As Costa Rica welcomed a new Presidential Administration, under a solid democratic tradition, the new authorities have continued to pave the way forward for the future of our relations. In the 2019 year, Costa Rica will promote efforts in strategically placing the Republic of Korea as its preferred like-minded partner in many areas of common interest while continuing to promote green initiatives, local government cooperation, FTA derivatives, and further strengthening of bilateral and multilateral ties between our nations, looking forward towards an action oriented partnership.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my strong hope that bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea – built on respect, understanding and friendship – will continue to expand in the years ahead across all areas of mutual interest.

There are already numbers of successfull exchanges between our countries in the fields of science, education, culture, tourism etc. In the field of trade Korea become our fourth biggest trading partner outside of European Union. These dynamic trends had been confirmed by recent visit of H.E. President Moon Jae-in in the Czech Republic.

I would like to wish to all citizens of Korea happy and prosperous New Year 2019!

Tomáš Husák, Ambassador

Embassy of the Czech Republic

MESSAGE BY DANISH AMBASSADOR THOMAS LEHMANN

Dear friends,

It is already that time of year – carols and Christmas decorations adorn the streets and homes and bittersweet sentiments are abound as people say goodbye to yet another year that has gone by in what seems like a blink of an eye.

I, however, am filled to the brim with great hopes and anticipation for what is to come in 2019 – the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Denmark and Korea. As Danish Ambassador, I am proud to say that since 1959 our two countries have shared a friendship and mutual understanding that has grown stronger, with the list of areas of partnership and collaboration growing ever longer and more diverse with each passing year.

This year saw another milestone in our bilateral relations. During President Moon Jae-in’s official visit to Denmark in October 2018, he and Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in numerous areas and acknowledged the 60th diplomatic anniversary as a very special occasion.

As such, Denmark and Korea will be devoting the entirety of 2019 as the ‘#YearOfCulture’. Celebrations will take place all throughout the year in both our countries in the form of exhibitions, performances, concerts, festivals, events, and more. The goal is not only to showcase and appreciate each other’s culture, but also to create everlasting relations between people, cultural institutions, and artists of Denmark and Korea.

It is my greatest honour and pleasure to invite you to join our celebration next year. I encourage you to stay tuned and follow updates via social media (#DenmarkKorea60) so that you don’t miss a thing.

Thank you everyone for a great year. I wish you all the best in the coming year and the happiest of holidays.

Best regards,
Thomas Lehmann, Danish Ambassador to Korea

(Source: Embassy of Denmark facebook)

Charge d'Affairesa.i.Mr.BekumaMerdassa, Embassy of Ethiopia

I wish peace and prosperity for all in the New Year. As a nation, Ethiopiahas found unity in our diversity and respect in our differences. The New Year for Ethiopia will be the year to work together to bring about tangible political and economic changes in the country. It is believed that Ethiopia and South Korea will scale up the level of technology transfer and cooperation in many different areas but also strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries as Ethiopia is one of Korea’s strategic partner. I wish everyone an enjoyable, prosperous and a happy New Year.

Message for Seoul City Magazine January, 2019 issue:

As we look back over the past 56 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republics of Korea and Honduras, we can assure that the friendly ties between both countries have strengthened and expanded to many areas of mutual cooperation.

In 2018 our countries signed the FTA agreement that will allow us to improve the commercial exchange and increased cooperation in security, education, health and cultural exchanges.

Also, we have witnessed the important steps taken towards peace in the Korean peninsula. Honduras acknowledges the decisive role that President MOON Jae-in´s Government has played for rapprochement between the two Koreas and with United States of America and the international community.

Virgilio PAREDES TRAPERO

Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras

Co-Chairman Korea Culture Ambassador Friendship Association

Dear Seoul City Magazine readers,

It is with great pleasure for me to convey my warmest greetings to each and every one of you. 2018 has been an eventful year for the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Korea. The peak was the visit of President Joko Widodo to Korea on 9-11 September 2018 which has added significant substance to the Special Strategic Partnership.

I am confident that the year of 2019 will be another best year for Indonesia-Korea bilateral relations. In this regard, I am hopeful that the Korea’s New Southern Policy could be translated by the Korean government into deeper, stronger and more concrete cooperation with Indonesia in 2019.

2018 has also witnessed positive trends on the Korean Peninsula. We hope there would be more progress in 2019 that lead to sustainable peace and prosperity in the region.

My best wishes to the Government and people of the Republic of Korea for the year 2019!

Sincerely,

Signed

Umar Hadi

Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia

Jordan Amb. Adel Mohammad Adaileh

On the occasion of the New Year, it is my great pleasure to extend to the government and the people of the Republic of Korea my sincere wishes for a happy and prosperous 2019.

The bilateral relations between Jordan and Korea witnessed a great progress for the past 56 years especially in the field of investment, trade and tourism with exchange of high-level visits and we look forward to enhancing it in all aspects in the coming future.

Jordan welcomes the President Moon, Jae-in's peace initiative with North Korea and two historical summits between North, South Korea and United States which will be positively reflected in the international peace and security, as well as in the non-proliferation efforts. We wish for a successful outcome in 2019.

New Year message of H.E Mr .Chafik RACHADI,

Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco to the Republic of Korea

It is with great pleasure that I convey, on behalf of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Seoul staff and myself, our sincere New Year’s greetings to the people and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

As a symbol of the growing friendship and working relationship between Morocco and Korea, especially during the landmark year of 2018, a number of high-ranking government officials and business investors conducted visits to both countries, culminating in the successful visit to Morocco by a strong delegation led by the Prime Minister H.E. LEE Nak-yon, in December 2018, and the fruitful results of the Seventh Session of the Morocco- Korea Joint Commission, held last October in Seoul.

With the ever-increasing connections between our nations, we believe that the Republic of Korea can rely on the Kingdom of Morocco as a gateway to the African continent, and Morocco can likewise rely on Korea as its opening to the Asian-Pacific Region. As we welcome 2019, we are looking forward to another year of success as we forge a rock-solid, long-standing relationship on every level, and we will continue to work together to identify greater opportunities to strengthen our relational ties in mutual areas of interest.

May the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Korea enjoy greater prosperity, progress, and peace in this New Year.

새 해 복 많이 받으십시오

New year message from H.E. Thura Thet Oo Mg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenitotentiary of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Seoul

I am pleased to express my New Year message in Seoul City Magazine January Issue 2019. It is a great honor to convey my warmest greetings to all readers of the Seoul City Magazine.

Myanmar and ROK have maintained friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in May 1975. Looking back on the two countries’ diplomatic relations in the past, Myanmar and ROK have strong ties not only in political, but also in economic, social, cultural and religious context. Exchange of visits between Myanmar and ROK at various levels render great opportunities to promote friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Since then, the relations between the two nation s have been growing stronger and the government of ROK has promoted its development assistance to Myanmar. KOICA has extended development coopertation to Myanmar in various fields focusing on Agriculture, Education and Infrastructure. Nowadays, Korean culture is permeating in Myanmar and Myanmar people well recognize Korean culture and its people. Since, Myanmar and ROK have well built up friendly relationship for over forty years, the two countries will continue to enjoy strengthen relations and cooperation each other in the years ahead.

ROK government is setting up “New Southern Policy” to strengthen cooperation with Asia and ASEAN countries with the “3P” pillars; building a community of People, Prosperity and Peace. ROK’s particular interest between ROK and ASEAN countries including Myanmar will contribute to promoting friendly relations between Myanmar and ROK not only in the near future but also from the long perspective. Since Korean government is now emphasizing to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with ASEAN countries, Korean entrepreneurs are also increasingly seeking new opportunities in the ASEAN region.

In 2018, the government of the Republic of Korea focused on peace and prosperity of Korean peninsula. President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un held successfully third inter Korean Summit. The success of the historic North Korea-United States Summit held in Singapore is paving the way of denuclearization of North Korea.

The Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar always supports all ROK’s efforts for lasting peace and stability, denuclearization of Korean Peninsula. I am sincerely welcome the ways of peaceful negotiations among ROK, North Korea and the United States which intends to focus on end of Korean War.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for the continued success of the Republic of Korea and prosperity of its people. I have always liked countdown to New Year and wishing you all Happy New Year 2019.

New Year’s Message of

H.E. Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez

Seoul City Magazine

January 2019

2019 is an important year for us as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-South Korea bilateral relations. To commemorate this milestone, our leaders, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and President Moon Jae-in, during their summit meeting in June 2018, have agreed to designate 2019 as the year of mutual exchanges between South Korea and the Philippines.

As we look back on 70 years of brotherhood and friendship, we also look forward to an even stronger cooperation between our two countries in all fields, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development, science and technology, trade and economic, agriculture, and security and defense. We also note our strong people-to-people ties with South Korea as evidenced by the presence of more than 67,000 Filipinos in South Korea and over 93,000 South Koreans residing in the Philippines.

It is our hope that this relationship between our two countries, which has been nurtured based on shared history, common values, and like-minded aspirations for peace, progress, and mutual prosperity, will continue to flourish and evolve into comprehensive mutual exchanges that will benefit both countries.

We also share the hope of South Korea as it persists in its efforts, together with key international partners, to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Philippines will continue to lend its support to efforts that will lead to North Korea’s complete denuclearization. We look forward to the resumption of the talks between the United States and North Korea. We underscore the importance and value of dialogue and diplomacy in seeking resolution to outstanding issues among all concerned parties.

Kamsahamnida.

RAUL S. HERNANDEZ

Ambassador

H.E. Mr. Mamadou Gueye FAYE

Ambassador of Senegal in the Republic of Korea

In the New Year 2019, on the behalf of His Excellency President Macky SALL, the Government and the People of the Republic of Senegal, I extend my best wishes for an excellent year of health, peace and prosperity to His Excellency Mr. Moon Jae-in, President of Republic of Korea and all the people of Korea.

I hope that this new year will strengthen our bonds of friendship and cooperation through the implementation of fruitful cooperation programmes under the bilateral framework, and encourage our convergence of views on the multilateral programme for strengthening democracy, good governance and human rights.

Through my voice, Senegal hopes that 2019 will see the advent of the final peace in the Korean Peninsula, concretizing the tireless efforts of His Excellency Mr. MOON Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea.

New Year Message of Jagath Abeywarna, Charge d' Affaires of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea enjoy strong bonds of friendship and cooperation enriched by cultural and religious ties spanning centuries. Sri Lanka’s Government looks forward to further elevating the close and friendly relations with Korea in 2019, with particular emphasis on political and economic cooperation.

The Embassy has lined up several events in Seoul including trade, investment, tourism promotion seminars, showcasing Sri Lanka’s tourism attractions and promotion of the world-renowned Ceylon tea.

I take this opportunity to wish everyone a productive 2019.

New Year Message for the Seoul City Magazine (Jan 2019 Issue)

As we celebrate the arrival of the Year 2019, it gives me a great pleasure to extend, on behalf of the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul, the best wishes to all Koreans for a happy and prosperous new year.

Throughout the Year 2018, the Embassy, in collaboration with Korean government agencies, has organized a wide range of activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, which has been officially established in 1958. This special occasion has given us not only a chance to reflect upon our long-standing ties, but also to chart the course of the bilateral relations going forward.

As Thailand will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2019 with the theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”, we look forward to working with the Republic of Korea to promote the “Sustainability of Things” (SOT) and to create a more peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific Region. Thailand will continue to support the Korean government’s effort to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

May the relationship between Thailand and the Republic of Korea continue to flourish in the coming new year.

Singtong Lapisatepun

Ambassador of Thailand to the Republic of Korea

New Year Message to NDNnews

from H.E. Abdulla Al Romaithi, UAE Ambassador

I seize the opportunity of the New Year to express my sincere and heart-felt congratulations to NDNnews & The Seoul City Magazine wishing it more progress and achievements.

Over the course of 2018, the UAE has continued its efforts to reinforce its special strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea in all spheres. In the years to come, the scope of the partnership is expected to be enhanced and expanded. Potential areas of collaboration will focus on new and renewable energy as well as technologies related to the future growth.

H.E. Olexander Horin, Ukraine Amb. to the Republic of Korea

Dear readers!

New Year celebration is a good occasion to evaluate achievements of the previous year and to define goals for a new one. In 2018, we had a fruitful visit to the Republic of Korea of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Chairman to develop our political dialogue as well as Intergovernmental Korean-Ukrainian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation meeting to strengthen our economic ties.

We hope year 2019 will become a visa liberalization year for Ukrainian citizens because Koreans may come in Ukraine visa-free since 2006. Such facilitation will improve friendly relations between our peoples. We also welcome peaceful cooperation in the Korean peninsula reached in 2018 and expect to its further development in 2019.

And Happy New Year!