President Lee Jae Myung received the credentials of eight newly appointed foreign ambassadors to South Korea during a ceremony at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Thursday, marking the formal start of their diplomatic postings.
According to the presidential office, the envoys presenting their letters of credence included Gourangalal Das, ambassador of India; Eva Marie Russek, ambassador of Austria; Khuon Phon Rattanak, ambassador of Cambodia; Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, ambassador of the Philippines; Hazem Ismail Ibrahim Zaki, ambassador of Egypt; Kojo Choi, ambassador of Ghana; Marimuthu Karpaya Pathmanathan, ambassador of Sri Lanka; and Wael Hashem, ambassador of Lebanon.
Lee welcomed each ambassador, their spouses and delegation members, posing for commemorative photos before separate discussions to exchange greetings and views on bilateral cooperation.
The credential ceremony is a formal diplomatic process in which newly arrived envoys present letters of appointment issued by their heads of state to the host country’s leader, officially recognizing them as ambassadors.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac, Lim Woong-soon, second deputy director of the National Security Office and Choi Hee-duk, the presidential foreign policy secretary, also attended the event.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
