“Under the leadership of Prince Sihanouk, Cambodia won her full independence”

By Publisher-Editor Lee Kyung-sik

Her Excellency Ambassador Chring Botumrangsay of the Kingdom of Cambodia in the Republic of Korea said, “Under the leadership and striving for independence by Prince Norodom Sihanouk, our late King's Father, Cambodia obtained her full independence on the 9th of November 1953.”

Speaking at an auspicious gala reception she hosted at the prestigious Conrad Hotel on Yoido Islet in Seoul on November 2, 2023, she said, “During the past 70 years, Cambodia has gone through a number of remarkable events and as a result these events of peace, Cambodia has increasingly integrated herself into the global economy and played an active role in the international community.”

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a very important country to the Republic of Korea and this is very well attested to by the warm remarks by Preident Yoon Suk-yeol about Cambodia and the win-win cooperation, friendship and relations between the two countries.

President Yoon met with Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia in Octoer this year and agreed to further expand bilateral trade by actively using their recently implemented free trade agreement.

According to the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, keaders if the two countries held their first summit on the margins of annual summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Yoon congratulating the prime minister on his inauguration.

The two leaders also agreed to actively use the Korea-Cambodia FTA that took effect in December last year and a customs agreement signed in April to further increase bilateral trade that reached a record US$1.05 billion.

At the National Day celebration in Seoul, the speech of Ambassador Chring was accorded a very attentive response from an estimated 300 to 400 distinguished guests from all walks of the Korean society, as well as the Seoul Diplomatic Corps and various other segments of international community in Korea and around the world.

Attending the impressive reception that evening were many distinguished guests from the Korean society and the international community. Among them were the representatives of the sponsors of the reception as well as from the mass communications media, whence came Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985 with his raptorial team who included Vice Chairperon Joy Cho, Vice Chairman Choe Nam-suk and Acting Managing Editor Joseph Sung.

Then went on the lady ambassador of Cambodia, “The successful hosting of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 13), the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, and South East Asian Games are some of the representations that Cambodia has contributed to and engaged with the international community.” She said, “Cambodia's commitment and it's dispatching of more than 9,000 personnel to the UN peace keeping mission is another testimony of Cambodia's continued support and contribution to global peace, stability and prosperity.” (Speech text of Ambassador Botumrangsay to be added towards the end of this article.)

The speech of Ambassador Botumrangsay was very well responded to by a very warm congratulatory speech by Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination Cho Koo-rae who attended the gala reception representing the government and people of the Republic of Korea.

Deputy Minister Cho said, “This anniversary not only commemorates Cambodia's independence 70 years ago, but also symbolizes today’s Cambodia as thriving nation. Cambodia is making its mark in many areas!”

Then he said, “Cambodia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and has actively contributed to regional cooperation, including her role as the chair of ASEAN last year. I also would like to congratulate Cambodia on her successful hosting of the Southeast Asian Games in May this year!” (See further details of the congratulatory speech of Deputy Minister Cho after one by Ambassador Botumrangsay.

There were many sponsors contributing to the successful reception and among them were the Seoul Clinical Laboratories, the Korean Cultural Association, the Korean Air, Sky Angkor Airlines. There also were co-sponsors who included Happy Dream Supporters Association, and KB Prasac Bank.

However, attracting the attention of the many guests at the reception were the beautiful performances of traditional Cambodian dances presented by many beautiful ladies of Cambodia. To the Korean audience, the dance performances were exotic and were a great target of attention as the performers and their performances were exceptionally beautiful and catching the eyes of the audience.

In the opinion of the many guests at the party, they were a real treat to the eyes of the guests and some of them said that they even excelled the extremely tasty, mouth-watering food and beverage presented at the party.

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an exceptionally favorable view of Cambodia and bilateral relations, friendship and cooperation.

The Korean Foreign Ministry praises the bilateral relations as follows;

Cooperation between Cambodia and Korea has been strengthened in various fields, including politics, economy, development cooperation, and culture over the past 27 years.

In 2022 alone, there were high-level exchanges, such as the visit of President Yoon Seok-yul’s visit to the country on the occasion of the Korea-ASEAN Summit and the visit of Prime Minister Hun Sen and Senator Sai Cho-heum' to Korea.

Trade between the two countries has reached a scale of 1 billion dollars, and Korea's cumulative investments in Cambodia have exceeded US$4.8 billion.

In the field of development cooperation, Cambodia ranked fourth out of 127 free development cooperation countries in Korea, and 19 projects are underway in Cambodia with the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)

Welcoming remark by Ambassador Chring Botumrangsay:

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of Korea on the Occasion of the 70th Independence Day of Cambodia and the 26th Anniversary of Cambodia-ROK Diplomatic Relations 02 November 2023 | Conrad Hotel Seoul

-H.E. Cho Koo-rae, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- Mr. Ryu Jong-su, Senior Advisor of Seoul Clinical Laboratories

- Mr. Lee Sang-yun

- Excellency Ambassadors, colleagues, and members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

A Very good evening!

At the outset, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and officials of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, it is our great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all honorable guests to the 70th Independence Day of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the 26th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, and I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules and gracing us with your presence in this evening. In this welcoming speech, I will highlight two important points:

1. The legacy and development of Cambodia's independence:

Under the leadership and strive for independence of Prince Norodom Sihanouk, our late King's Father, Cambodia obtained its full independence on 09 November 1953. During the past 70 years, Cambodia has gone through a number of remarkable events.

As a result, these events of peace, Cambodia has increasingly integrated itself into the global economy and played an active role in the international community. The successful hosting of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 13), the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, and South East Asian Games are some of the representations that Cambodia has contributed to and engaged with the international community. Cambodia's commitment and it's dispatching of more than 9,000 personnel to the UN peace keeping mission is another testimony of Cambodia's continued support and contribution to global peace, stability and prosperity.

In terms of social and economic development, Cambodia maintained its magnificent economic growth of around 7% per annum in the last two decades prior to the disruption by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Cambodia was one of resilient nations that could maintain positive growth during the pandemic and is expected to achieve 5.2% growth in 2023.

Cambodia is one of the best investment destinations due to its open economy, competitive incentives. Our new investment law was also introduced and within 8 months of 2023, Cambodia approved 125 investment projects with the investment capital of around 1.74 billion USD and creating 153,997 jobs.

In terms of trade, Cambodia's export remains strong within the 8 months of this year, accounting for around 15.7 billion USD. Additionally, with its well-known for world heritage sites, beautiful beaches, and eco-tourism destinations, Cambodia welcomed 4 million foreign tourists in the first 8 months of this year, an increase of 251% compared to the same period of last year.

These are some indicators of Cambodia's positive growth, mainly as a result of peace and the continued support from our partner countries around the world. To this end, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our partner countries for their partnership and contribution to Cambodia's peace and development.

2.Cambodia-ROK bilateral relations:

Over the past 26 years, relations and cooperation between Cambodia-Republic of Korea in all fields have been strengthened and expanded and have brought tangible benefits to the two nations and peoples.

Illustratively, former Prime Minister Hun Sen have conducted many exchange visits with the previous President of the ROK and recently, Cambodia's Prime Minister, Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, had a fruitful bilateral meeting with Korea's President Yoon Suk-Yeol on the sideline of the 43th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta where both leaders exchanged views on topics of common interests and were committed to fostering the existing cordial relations to a higher level.

In addition, in early September this year, Korea's National Assembly's president, H.E. Mr. Kim Jin Pyo, paid an official visit to Cambodia during which both leaders exchanged views on strengthening relations between the two legislative institutions.

On the economic sphere, Cambodia and the Republic of Korea has maintained good momentum, stemmed from strong commitment of both sides.

Through the Joint Economic Committee Meeting, Agreement on Double Taxation Avoidance (DTA), Cambodia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as well as the ASEAN-Free Trade Agreement AFTA), the two-way trade increased from around 772 million USD in 2021 to around 779 million USD in 2022 while in the first 8 months of 2023, we achieved 503 million USD.

In addition, South Korea has been one of Cambodia's key official development assistances (ODA) providers and donors for socio- economic, physical infrastructure and human resource development including Cambodia-Korea Friendship Buildings at the National Pediatric Hospital and at Ang Duong Hospital and the Cambodia-Korean Friendship Bridge project. In terms of people-to-people connectivity more than 60,000 Cambodian workers, students, married women and families are working and living in Korea.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Korean government for providing support to our workers and immigrant families living in Korea.

Though we have maintained momentous bilateral relations, both countries still have more rooms to expand. To this end, I believe that both countries will make an even more effective use of the existing mechanisms to promote and increase our bilateral ties to a new height.

The private sector and companies who present today are also our strong partners and will be the driven force to promote bilateral outputs between the two countries and I wish to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support and contribution.

Congratulatory Remarks by Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination:

Cho Koo-rae

Your Excellency Ambassador Chring Botumrangsay of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is my great pleasure to join you this evening on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea in celebrating the 70th anniversary of Cambodia's Independence Day.

I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the Government and people of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

This anniversary not only commemorates Cambodia's independence 70 years ago, but also symbolizes today’s Cambodia as thriving nation.

Cambodia is making its mark in many areas.

It is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and has actively contributed to regional cooperation, including its role as chair of ASEAN last year.

I also would like to congratulate the country on its successful hosting of the Southeast Asian Games in May this year.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In a relatively short period of time, the bilateral relationship has made great strides.

The bilateral trade volume has increased twenty-fold, reaching a record high of over 1 billion dollars last year. With the agreement for elimination of double taxation and the bilateral free trade agreement in place, I am confident that our trade volume will continue to expand.

Cambodia is also Korea's largest ODA partner.

As a true friend, Korea has supported the socio-economic development of Cambodia, covering agriculture, health, the environment and infrastructure. Our commitment to continuing our contribution remains strong.

In addition, vibrant people-to-people exchanges demonstrate a bond of friendship that goes beyond political and economic cooperation.

The number of visitors has increased nearly 200-fold since 1997, with more than 300,000 Koreans and Cambodians visiting each other’s country every year.

Despite the pandemic, direct flights between Incheon and Phnom Penh never stopped.

With the opening of the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport this month, many more Koreans are expected to visit Cambodia.

In addition, we have around 9,000 Cambodian-Korean families.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Building upon what we have achieved over the last 25 years,

President Yoon made a visit to Cambodia on the occasion of ASEAN-related Summits last year. And President Yoon and Prime Minister Hun Manet, the two leaders expressed their strong determination to further develop bilateral ties.

Considering the strong foundation of cooperation and friendship that we have built together, I am confident that relations between our two countries will continue to strengthen and flourish in the coming years.

In closing, I'd like to extend my sincere appreciation to Ambassador Chring Botumrangsay for her kind invitation and hospitality.

Once again, my warmest congratulations on the Independence Day of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Okkun Chiraun, Thank you!

Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduction of Cambodia:

When it comes to Cambodia, it seems that many people still remember it as a country with Angkor Wat or a country of the movie Killing Fields (extreme communism in the 1970s). However, with the foundation of the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1993, a Constitutional Monarchy with the King as the Head of State was adopted like the United Kingdom and Japan. Since then, based on political stability, Cambodia has actively carried out activities for incorporation into the international community, such as joining ASEAN, ASEM, WTO, WB, IMF, and RCEP.

According to an introduction of Cambodia by the Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cambodia is a country who is emerging as a new attention-seeking country in ASEAN by realizing high economic growth of 7% on average per year before COVID 19.

Diplomatic relations between Korea and Cambodia were temporarily severed after diplomatic relations were established in 1970, but diplomatic relations were restored in 1997, and cooperation between the two countries has been strengthened in various fields, including politics, economy, development cooperation, and culture over the past 26 years.

In 2022 alone, there were high-level exchanges, such as the visit of President Seok-Yul visit to Cambodia on the occasion of the Korea-ASEAN Summit, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, and Senator Sai Cho-heum's visit to Korea.

Trade between the two countries has reached a scale of 1 billion dollars, and Korea's cumulative investment in Cambodia has exceeded US$4.8 billion.

In the field of development cooperation, Cambodia ranked fourth out of 127 free development cooperation countries in Korea, and 19 projects are underway in Cambodia with the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). About 300 Korean companies in the fields of manufacturing, finance, construction, and real estate are active in Cambodia, and there are about 10,000 Korean residents in Cambodia. Various cultural events such as K-POP performances, Korean film festivals, and Taekwondo competitions are also held every year.

Although exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have shrunk due to COVID-19, they are recently recovering, and in an environment where the global supply chain is being reorganized due to strategic competition between the US and China, it is an important time to newly develop Korea-Cambodia cooperative relations.

Within the framework of the government's Indo-Pacific Strategy and Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Cooperation Initiative, Korea's industrial competitiveness and development experience should be linked with Cambodia's young and abundant labor force and natural resources to deepen and expand cooperation between the two countries.

In particular, the Korea-Cambodia FTA, the fourth FTA signed with an ASEAN member country after Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, took effect in December 2022. It is expected to be a new opportunity if the Cambodian government's square strategy and foreign investment attraction policy are combined with the FTA.

Korea will do her best to ensure the rights and interests of the Korean people and to support the activities of Korean business organizations for the continuous development of cooperative relations between the two countries.