In an interview with Rudaw’s Rozhan Abubakir, Kijoung addressed bilateral ties between Erbil and Seoul, similarities between Kurds and Koreans, and the increasing number of Kurdish youth learning the Korean language and being interested in Korean culture.
The Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Erbil is set to hold the 3rd Korean Culture Festival on Tuesday, in which various activities and performances relating to Korean traditions and pop culture will be carried out.
The Korean consul said the festival is “a very meaningful occasion to promote the friendship between the people of Korea and the Kurdistan Region.”
Seoul and Erbil have enjoyed great relations for nearly two decades.
In 2016, South Korea upgraded its diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region from an embassy office to a consulate, and has since 2015 provided donations to the IDPs and refugees in the Region.
When coronavirus spread in the Kurdistan Region in 2020, Seoul provided testing kits to Erbil. The country has also trained 1,500 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials in Korea.
