His Holiness Karekin II Receives the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
On Saturday, May 18, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians received Mr. Chung Tae-ik, the newly assigned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Armenia. The ambassador will reside in Moscow.
His Holiness welcomed the newly appointed ambassador?s mission in Armenia and expressed assurance that through him, contacts established between South Korea and Armenia in the economic and cultural spheres would continue to develop. The ambassador thanked His Holiness for the audience and remarked that he was a student of Armenian culture. Ambassador Chung noted that following independence, the Armenian people have been able to overcome many obstacles and hardships through their faith and their Church. The ambassador also informed His Holiness about his plans to organize a business forum in the fall of this year, to encourage trade and assist in establishing ties between the two republics. The ambassador stated that South Korea is the 13th largest economy in the world, and the 3rd largest in Asia, and as such, hopes to make significant inroads to the Armenian market.
In the course of the meeting His Holiness informed the ambassador about the history and the mission of Armenian Church, and her spiritual center and administrative headquarters - the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. According importance to the role of the Armenian Church in the life of the nation, Mr. Chung Tae-ik told His Holiness about the religious-spiritual life in his native country, and gave a concise history about the arrival and spread of Christianity to Korea. As the ambassador noted, in addition to traditional Buddhism, there are many Christians in South Korea, and they make up nearly 50 per cent of the population of approximately 47 million people.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Holiness wished the ambassador well in his mission, and asked for God?s blessings to protect the Korean people and nation.
