Barbados and South Korea are seeking to enhance their longstanding diplomatic ties.
Discussions on enhancing these ties were held during a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Senior Minister coordinating Social and Environmental Policy, Senator Jerome Walcott, by South Korea’s Ambassador to Barbados Oh Dong-il, today, at the Ministry’s office, Culloden Road, St. Michael.
In welcoming Ambassador Oh to Barbados, Minister Walcott conveyed thanks for Korea’s contributions to the Green Climate Fund and its donation of US$100,000 in July 2020, which the Government of Korea gave Barbados through the CARICOM Secretariat as humanitarian assistance to help the region cope with COVID-19.
He also enquired about Mr. Oh’s stay in the Caribbean since assuming office in September 2021.
Ambassador Oh, who is based in Trinidad and Tobago, shared that currently two Barbadians are studying for their Masters in International Politics in South Korea, and he proposed an exchange programme with Barbados for junior diplomats.
In their discussions, the two envoys touched on several areas, including the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Programme, the Green for Growth Fund, cultural exchanges, climate change, ICT and renewable energy, and hosting another Korean Film Festival in Barbados, as was done in 2017.
Barbados established diplomatic relations with South Korea on November 15, 1977.