PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen met with the former Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea at the Peace palace in Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon, 12 January 2023, to discuss work and bilateral ties.

The Prime Minister’s personal assistant, Eang Sophalleth, told the media after the meeting that the former Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Park Byeong-seug, expressed his happiness over the progress Cambodia has made and said he was most proud of how Cambodia organized and led the ASEAN Summit and related summits in 2022, successfully raising Cambodia's prestige on the international stage.

Eang Sophalleth said that during the meeting, former Speaker Park Byeong-seug spoke of the three tasks Prime Minister Hun Sen had assigned him – to ratify the free trade agreement between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, support funding for the construction of the Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge and increase quotas for Cambodian workers to seek employment in Korea.

The former Speaker confirmed that these three works have been successfully completed, with the free trade agreement between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea having entered into force, the Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge being signed on for construction, and the quotas allowing Cambodian workers to seek employment in Korea increasing by 40%.

Eang Sophalleth added that Speaker Park Byeong-seug and his delegation expressed that they will continue to promote the growth and strengthening of bilateral relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea. At the same time, he said that he will continue to seek support for Cambodia in the field of demining, including encouraging Korean investors to directly invest in Cambodia or through the 1 Plus mechanism.

"Because Cambodia has favorable factors, such as youth energy and high-quality results, also Cambodia uses dollars and the Cambodia-Korea agreement has been signed to support investment and free trade with potential factors that are available in Cambodia," said the former Speaker.

In response, Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked former Speaker Park Byeong-seug for his assessment of Cambodia's progress and the success of the ASEAN Summit and related meetings. He also thanked the former Speaker for helping Cambodia gain more attention from Korea, and aiding in the process of completing the three works the Prime Minister had previously requested help for.

^{PHOTO: KOK KY}