By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: South Korea is keen to forge ties with Qatar in the cultural and sports fields and other potential areas to develop partnerships, said visiting President Park Geun-hye.
Seoul will also contribute support to Qatar in hosting 2022 FIFA World Cup as a successful event, she said at the Qatar-Korea cultural exchange event ‘Fly High’ yesterday.
President Geun-hye is on a three-day official visit to Qatar as part of her tour of four GCC countries.
“We look forward to enhancing our relationship with Qatar. Both countries can further develop cultural exchange and ties in sports activities,” she said. “It’s remarkable that Qatar will host 2022 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will contribute to making Qatar host it successfully,” she added.
The cultural event at Four Seasons hotel was attended by Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, dignitaries and diplomats.
Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, took the centre stage of the cultural night. Taekwondo learners from South Korea gave breathtaking performance, together with Qatari children learning the martial art.
At the end of the 20-minute performance, they carried national flags of South Korea and Qatar, symbolising the relationship between both countries.
South Korean artistes also performed a song-and-play, ‘Whale of a Time’, showcasing their country’s traditions.
An Arabic performance, ‘Allah ya omari Qatar’ was staged by local and South Korean singers.
Geun-hye met and congratulated the performers.
“We look forward to seeing more students learning taekwondo in Qatar,” she said.
Geun-hye began a nine-day regional tour on March 1 and visited Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. She arrived in Qatar, the last leg of the tour, on Thursday.
The Peninsula
