As the ambassador of Uzbekistan and as dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps
On Oct. 6, 2021, The Korea Post media honored Ambassador Vitaliy Fen of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Seoul with a Plaque of Citation for the unreserved efforts and dedication he has made to the promotion of relations, cooperation and friendship between Korea and his country of Uzbekistan.
With an ability of impeccable ability of communication in the Korean language, Ambassador Fen has immeasurably contributed to the enhancement of relations between Korea and Uzbekistan.
Ambassador Fen was also very instrumental in the promotion of relations between Korea and the 117 different countries of the world with resident embassies in Korea as the dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps.
While the Embassy of Uzbekistan was in Socho-dong south of the Han River in Seoul, he has a large office space wholly reserved for the performance of duties as the Dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps.
He was very instrumental in bridging gaps between the all the diplomatic missions and various segments of the Korean society as well as the governments of Korea and the all different countries of the world diplomatically represented in Korea.
Ambassador Fen began to play a role in relations between Korea and Uzbekistan as early as 1992, soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when he set up the first of twelve meetings he would ultimately organize between the President of the Republic of Korea and the President of Uzbekistan.
He first came to the ROK in 1995 to take up a new position as the head of mission of Uzbekistan in Seoul, and was promoted to ambassador in 1999. By 2007, with the departure of Ambassador Alfredo Ungo of El Salvador in Seoul, Fen became the dean of the diplomatic corps in Korea. He departed from Korea in August 2013 and returned to Korea to resume his post as the Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Seoul.
Personal life: Fen is of Korean descent; his grandparents were Korean immigrants to the Soviet Union, and settled in Vladivostok before being deported in 1937 to the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, where Fen himself was born in the capital Tashkent. He is married to Lyudmila, who is also of Korean descent. He began studying the Korean language in 1988, and made his first trip to the ROK in 1989 to attend the World Ethnic Korean Festival.
Brief resume of Ambassador Fen:
Date of birth: 18 October 1947, Fergana city (Uzbekistan).
Education: College of Economic Planning, Margilan City, Uzbekistan, 1966 Fergana State Pedagogical Institute, 1973
1966-1967: Military service
1975-1981: Director of High Sports School, Fergana Province
1981-1983: Chairman of Fergana Provincial Committee for Physical Culture and Sport
1983-1989: Deputy Chairman of State Committee for Physical Education and Sport of Uzbekistan
1989-1995: Deputy Governor of Fergana Province
1995-1999: Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea
1999-2013: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea
2007- 2013: Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Seoul
2017 to date: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea
Awards:
2005: Honorable citizen of Seoul
2006: “Mehnat shuhrati” (Glory of Work) State Order of Uzbekistan
2014: “Gwanghwa” Order of Diplomatic Service Merit of South Korea Government
2018: “Fidokorona hizmatlari uchun” (For Selfless Service) State Order of Uzbekistan
Languages: Uzbek, Russian, Korean
Married with three children.