By Lee Kap-soo

“Cambodia is one of the best investment destinations due to its open economy, competitive incentives. Our new investment law was also introduced and within eight months of 2023, Cambodia approved 125 investment projects with the investment of some $1.74 billion and creating 153,997 jobs,” said H.E Amb. Chring Botumrangsay of Cambodia to Korea on Nov. 2.

Delivering welcoming remarks on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day of Cambodia and the 26th anniversary of Cambodia-ROK diplomatic relations held at Conrad Hotel Seoul, Amb. Chring said, “In terms of trade, Cambodia's exports remains strong within the eight months of this year, accounting for around $15.7 billion.”

"Additionally, with it is well-known for world heritage sites, beautiful beaches, and eco-tourism destinations, Cambodia welcomed 4 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 251% compared to the same period of last year.”

Noting that more than 60,000 Cambodian workers, students, married women and families are working and living in Korea, she said, "Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Korean government for providing support to our workers and immigrant families living in Korea.

More than 500 distinguished guests from the Korean government and various other segments of Korean society, as well as the ambassadors and other senior officials from the Seoul Diplomatic Corps, attended the gala reception.

Among the distinguished Korean guests were Cho Koo-rae, deputy minister for planning and coordination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Ryu Jong-su, senior advisor of Seoul Clinical Laboratory and Actor Lee Sang-yun, who is also the honorable tourism ambassador of Cambodia.

In congratulatory remarks, Cho Koo-rae, deputy minister for planning and coordination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “The year 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Cambodia. Relations between Korea and Cambodia have improved significantly in a short time, covering a wide range of areas including trade, development cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.”

Cho said, “The active exchanges between the two countries go beyond political and economic cooperation, with the number of visitors increasing nearly 200 times. Since 1997 and before COVID-19, more than 300,000 Koreans and Cambodians visited each other's countries every year. 

He added, “In the future, the two countries will maintain even closer ties in terms of political, economic and other fields cooperation.”

Following Deputy Minister Cho’s remarks, Prof. Ryu Jong-su, senior advisor of Seoul Clinical Laboratory, and Actor Lee Sang-yun proposed a toast for further development of Korea-Cambodia relations to participants in the gala event. 

As side events to celebrate the 70th Independence Day of Cambodia and the 26th anniversary of Cambodia-ROK diplomatic relations, a Cambodian dance troupe presented traditional Cambodian dances.

Along with the dance performance, there were Cambodian-Korean fashion show and K-Pop performance by Laysha.