Omani Ambassador to Korea Mohamed al-Harthy hosted former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and other Arab ambassadors at the Omani Embassy in Seoul on April 24.

Al-Harthy organized the meeting as dean of the diplomatic corps and on behalf of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Korea. Also in attendance were officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Middle Eastern and North African Affairs, Korea-Arab Society and S-Oil.

The Omani envoy congratulated Ban on his appointment as the chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute, an agency tasked with promoting sustainable development and the fight against climate change. He also thanked Cho and the Korean Foreign Ministry for their continuing support and cooperation, while lauding the Korean government’s hosting of the inter-Korean summit following the PyeongChang Winter Games. 

Ban said the Arab countries can benefit from the Global Green Growth Institute through environmental and agricultural projects as well as its sustainable economic development policies.

Cho said he looked forward to strengthening ties between Korea and Arab states. He said many opportunities remained to be tapped, with the assistance of the Korea-Arab Society.

The 11th Arab Cultural Festival will be held from Wednesday to Sunday at Coex in Seoul, featuring various customs, calligraphies, traditional clothing, food and other products across national pavilions of 12 participating embassies.

The event’s highlight is the Omani fashion show on Saturday at 2 p.m., which will unveil Oman’s colorful clothing by renowned designers. The seventh Arab film festival will be held from June 1-6 at Art House Momo in Seoul and Busan Cinema Center.

For more information, visit www.arabfestival.or.kr.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)