BY James Kon

“Direct flights will to Korea from Brunei will resume between Bandar Seri Begawan and Incheon soon,” said Ambassador of Korea to Brunei Darussalam Kim Soung-eun said. “I expect a lot of Koreans will visit Brunei again. Just before the pandemic, Korea was fifth in terms of the number for international tourist arrivals in Brunei,” he said.

He said this during the National Foundation Day of Korea reception at The Rizqun International Hotel on Wednesday.

He also said diplomatic relationship between Brunei Darussalam and Korea has been friendly since the Sultanate’s independence in 1984.

In high level exchanges, “The Sultanate has seen visits by four Korean Presidents for five times while His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has visited Korea six times including the ASEAN-Korea Special Summit in 2019,” the envoy added.

Brunei Darussalam, he said, “Served as the coordinating country for Korea in ASEAN mechanism for three years until August 2021. Brunei played its role very well in connecting Korea with ASEAN. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Brunei Government once again.”

He also shared that Korea has made several contributions to the development of Brunei in recent years.

He said building infrastructure such as the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge was one such example. “Currently, Korean shipbuilding company Dongil Shipyard has been actively involved in a ship maintenance and decommissioning project at Pulau Muara Besar (PMB).”

The ambassador also touched on the popularity of Korean culture in the Sultanate, which will enrich the country based on mutual benefit.

He also revealed that the 2nd Korean Ambassador’s Cup Taekwondo Competition will be held in December where athletes from Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan are expected to participate.

On education, he said, “Data has shown that over 1,000 Bruneian students including exchange students have obtained visas to study in Korea since 2012. Except during COVID-19, there are over 100 students from Brunei who went to Korea to further their studies.”

He also hoped that more Bruneians will apply for the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) to study in Korea.

Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, the guest of honour, with her spouse Haji Md Fadzil bin Haji Md Salleh and the Korean Ambassador and his spouse Kwon Soo-hyun cut a cake to commemorate the National Foundation Day of Korea.

The audience was also treated to a high flying taekwondo performance by members of United Gym.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin