South Korean Consul General Han Dal-jun speaking at the country's National Day reception held last week to mark the 4,341st anniversary of the foundation of Korea said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Kingdom and South Korea in 1962, bilateral relations have constantly developed. “Many Korean construction and engineering companies in the Kingdom have successfully participated in the tremendous economic development of the Kingdom since the 1970s,” said Dal-jun. He said Korea is the third largest trade partner of Saudi Arabia and that the Kingdom is the fourth largest trade partner of Korea. Volume of bilateral trade between the two nations reached $39 billion in 2008. Acknowledging that the next G-20 summit would be hosted by both Canada and Korea, the Consul General said the Kingdom is an “important member of the G-20 and Korea looks forward to working closely with the Kingdom in this regard”. He hoped the “existing cooperative relations and cordial friendship” will prosper in the years to come. The function was held at the Intercontinental Hotel last week. In attendance was Ambassador Saleh Abdullatif of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah, along with a number of diplomats, businessmen, officials, and members of the Korean community. __
