Congratulatory Remarks at the 56th National Day Reception of Malaysia
by H.E. Cho Tae-yul
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

September 3, 2013
Crystal Ballroom, Lotte Hotel Seoul 
            

Ambassador Dato' Ramlan Ibrahim,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Selamat Petang!
Good evening!

I am honored to be here tonight to celebrate with you the 56th anniversary of Malaysia’s independence. On behalf of the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea, I extend my congratulations to all Malaysians on this special day.

Since gaining independence, Malaysia has been promoting unity among diversity. Its national motto ‘unity is strength’ exemplifies Malaysia’s extraordinary journey to ensure that its multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society lives in peace and harmony.

Today, Malaysia has become a force to be reckoned with, both politically and economically, in the region and beyond. Malaysia wields significant influence in the global community as an active player not only on its own, but also with its membership in ASEAN, ASEAN+3, EAS, APEC, OIC and others.

Malaysia’s GDP has also been growing at an average rate of 6.5% for the past five decades; and it has now joined the ranks of the top 30 global economic powerhouses. And behind this astounding growth lies the collective wisdom of Malaysia’s visionary leaders and its people. I pay tribute to them all.

Malaysia’s achievements do not end here. According to UNWTO, Malaysia attracted 25 million visitors in 2012 to emerge as one of the top ten tourist destinations. This milestone cannot be attributed merely to Malaysia’s exotic natural beauty and colorful heritage. The harmonious balance between tradition and modernity and between eastern and western cultures, together with the warm and friendly services provided by its people, is the recipe for success.

Distinguished Guests,

The friendly relations between Korea and Malaysia have developed and solidified over the years. We have excellent political relations. We have a robust trade and investment relationship. And in the multilateral setting, we join efforts to advance common causes, such as conflict prevention and promoting sustainable development and human rights.

Recently, we have witnessed a new development in our bilateral relations. Whereas previously the governments steered our partnership forward, now our two peoples are taking up a more prominent role in this regard.

Such people-to-people exchanges picked up momentum when the Korean TV drama “Winter Sonata” was first aired in Malaysia more than a decade ago. Since then, many Malaysians have been enjoying Korean TV dramas, movies and K-pop. This in turn sparked the Malaysian people’s interest in visiting Korea and exploring Korean cuisine, language and culture.

In the meantime, Koreans also fell in love with the intriguing beauty and culture of Malaysia. Last year, almost 300,000 Koreans visited Malaysia, a twofold increase from 10 years ago. About 3,000 Korean students have taken up studies in Malaysia, and many elderly Koreans are hoping to live in Malaysia after retirement.

As the Malaysian saying goes, ‘loving is not possible without knowing each other’. Accordingly, as our two peoples come to know each other better, our longstanding friendship has also become stronger.
I believe the “Look East Policy” that former Prime Minister Mahitir initiated 30 years ago has been the underpinning of our robust partnership. And Prime Minister Najib has been continuing the second phase of the “Look East Policy” by broadening our relations into new areas of cooperation such as science, technology, culture and youth exchange, while pushing ahead with an ambitious plan to build knowledge-based economy.

Under President Park Guen-hye’s leadership, Korea is also promoting a creative economy, the essence of which is similar to Prime Minister Najib’s priorities. I believe, therefore, we can further explore and pursue ways to advance our cooperation in this new area, deepening and broadening our strong economic partnership.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the years, Korea and Malaysia have walked on seemingly different yet similar paths. Our two countries have been steadily moving towards sustainable prosperity and democratic maturity since our independence. We both have achieved transformations from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing. We both have weathered financial shocks, including the economic crisis of the late 1990s, and we both have been strong advocates of Asian values.

Based on such commonalities, together with the greater solidarity between our two peoples, I am confident that our bilateral partnership is poised to make another meaningful leap forward in coming years.

Distinguished Guests,

Before I conclude, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ambassador Ramlan whose tenure in Korea is drawing to a close. Thanks to his commitment and hard work, the relations between our two countries have reached new heights.

Mr. Ambassador, I wish you even greater success in your new responsibilities. You will be greatly missed, but I am sure our paths will cross again in the near future.

With this final note, ladies and gentlemen, may I now propose a toast to the enduring partnership between Korea and Malaysia, and to the health and happiness of all of us present here tonight.

Cheers! /END/