Jang Sung-min Director General Visits Suriname President... Appeals for Support of 2030 Busan Olympics

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Jang Sung-min, Director of Future Strategy Planning at the Presidential Office (left), paid a visit to Chandrakapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname, at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo, Suriname, on the 20th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Jang Sung-min, Future Strategy Planning Officer at the Presidential Office, visited Suriname on the 19th and 20th (local time) and met with President Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname, where he actively promoted support for the bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo.

The Presidential Office announced on the 23rd that after engaging in bid negotiations for the 2030 Busan Expo, including meeting with the Secretary-General of the International Bureau of Expositions in Paris on the 17th and 18th of this month, attending the Korean National Day reception, and meeting with ambassadors from key countries to France, Officer Jang proceeded to Suriname to carry out these activities.

As the first agenda of his visit to Suriname, Officer Jang laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial and held a meeting with veterans and their families, expressing gratitude on behalf of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the Korean government for the sacrifice and dedication of Surinamese soldiers, while promising continued interest and support.

One hundred fifteen Surinamese soldiers participated in the Korean War as part of the Dutch army, and currently only two survivors remain in Suriname.

The veterans proudly noted Korea’s remarkable development and expressed surprise and deep emotion that the Presidential Office had not forgotten them and had come to visit in person for the first time, according to the Presidential Office.

During the meeting with President Santokhi, Officer Jang conveyed, on behalf of President Yoon, a strong hope and commitment to strengthen bilateral relations with Suriname, a longtime friend nation. He also explained for 20 minutes the values of President Yoon’s governance philosophy, including freedom, human rights, rule of law, market economy, responsibility, solidarity, democracy, and fairness.

In particular, he emphasized that Korea’s bid to host the 2030 Busan Expo would present solutions and future visions for common global challenges faced by both Korea and Suriname, such as climate change, digital divide, and economic inequality, and requested support for the Expo bid.

Both Korea and Suriname agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as climate change response, agriculture and fisheries, energy, and tourism, and to expand high-level exchanges.

President Santokhi also expressed strong agreement with President Yoon’s governance philosophy and explained policies aimed at development by utilizing Suriname’s diverse resources, including agriculture, minerals, energy, and tourism, alongside efforts to maintain low carbon emissions. He responded by emphasizing the shared values of freedom, fairness, rule of law, and anti-corruption as a foundation to continuously develop bilateral relations, the Presidential Office explained.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.