KUALA LUMPUR: The South Korean government is looking into the setting up of a Korean Cultural Centre in Malaysia, South Korea's ambassador to Malaysia Lee Chi Beom said.
Throughout his three-year tenure as the South Korean ambassador here, Lee said it was undeniable that the "Korean Wave" in Malaysia had played a huge part in fostering mutual understanding between people from the two countries.
"I think the positive effects derived from the Korean Wave are not limited to just the cultural sector.
"The popularity of Korean movies, drama and music had extended beyond the entertainment industry, such as other aspects of Korea; language, food, travel, study, and so on are also drawing interest," Lee told Bernama in conjunction with South Korea's National Foundation Day observed on Oct 3.
Currently there are about 13,000 South Koreans living in Malaysia.
"Unlike other cultural flows which are often identified as the one-way flow that only export contents to overseas markets, the Korean Wave is unique in the sense that it was able to grow and come this far based on two-way interactions.
"The Korean Wave was able to gain this much popularity because of the two-way interaction among global fans including Malaysian fans. I think it will continue to bring positive impacts upon both our countries,"
Earlier, Lee said the two countries were discussing to elevate the existing bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership.
Malaysia is the third-largest trading partner of South Korea in Southeast Asia and this year marks the 62nd year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He said the establishment of the partnership was beyond a mere declaration as it laid out a direction and setting for more potential cooperation that covers political, economic, cultural, regional, and international dimensions.
"It will mark a new momentum between South Korea and Malaysia to strengthen existing strong bilateral relations.
"After agreeing in principle to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in November 2019, both governments are now discussing the draft agreement,"
Lee said along with the elevation of cooperation, it is also important to explore and expand the areas of cooperation, especially in new areas such as healthcare, digital, artificial intelligence and the halal industry.
He added that as South Korea seeing the global health care sector continue to grow and the digitalisation of the economy is rapidly accelerated due to the ongoing pandemic, there is a huge potential for cooperation in these fields.
"In addition, we need to continue with our efforts to enhance mutual understanding of our people and promote friendship between our two nations.
"I am confident that the foundation for our bilateral partnership can be further solidified as we continue our efforts to deepen mutual understanding via various public diplomacy initiatives and cultural engagements.
On the international sphere, Lee expressed hope for both nations could join forces to respond to global issues, among others on the supply chain, regional growth and security.
"This importance comes greatly today, particularly the case with intensifying conflict and tensions between superpowers associated with a slowdown in the global economy.
"As we work hand-in-hand on this particular front, I am sure that we could not only establish ourselves as leaders in the region but also discover a new area of cooperation along the way." -- Bernama