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| Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, speaks with Moroccan Ambassador Chafik Rachadi, who serves as Dean of Arab Diplomatic Corps in Seoul, during an Iftar dinner hosted by Korea's foreign ministry in commemoration of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a hotel in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Foreign Minister Park Jin hosted an Iftar dinner, Friday, emphasizing the significance of solidarity as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan in Korea.
"Ramadan is more than just a month of fasting. It is a time of solidarity. Over the past three years, we have come to realize all the more fully the deep meaning of the human connections in our world, reminding us that no one is an island," Park said ahead of the dinner.
"All humanity shared a shared plight and this fostered in us a sense of shared destiny, an affinity. Yet there are still countless individuals around the world who endure immense suffering ― be it due to poverty, disasters or conflict."
The minister continued on to express sympathy for people in need, particularly those impacted by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and affirmed Korea's steadfast support for the affected region.
During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset and fasting during the period is one of the five pillars of Islamic values. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted the event since 2004 to promote cultural understanding, but it was halted from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Foreign Minister Park Jin delivers a speech during an Iftar dinner hosted by Korea's foreign ministry in commemoration of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a hotel in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
This year, over 170 guests attended the event, including diplomats as well as professors, students and businesspeople from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states and Korea.
Notable guests include Myongji University Arabic Studies Professor Emeritus Choi Young-gil, who is the first native Korean-Muslim to fully translate the Quran from Arabic to Korean and recipient of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam; Alexandria University professor Sofia Elkhouly known for her calligraphy works combining Korean and Arabic; Mohammed Galal and Hayder Albayati, winners of the Korea-Arab Start-up Idea Pitch Competition last year; and Muslim entertainers Samy Rashad, Oumaima Fatih, Zahid Hussain and Kim Miso.
Chafik Rachadi, ambassador of Morocco to Korea and Dean of Arab Diplomatic Corps in Seoul, noted the deepening friendship between Korea and the Islamic counties.
"Today's event not only promotes understanding friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Arab and Islamic countries, but also serves as an opportunity to disseminate universal values of religion, solidarity and tolerance," Rachadi said.
The Moroccan ambassador emphasized spiritual nature of Ramadan, which reinforces the principles of tolerance and coexistence advocated by Islam and expressed gratitude to the ministry for organizing a dinner to commemorate the occasion.
"It shows that Korea is a multicultural society that deeply values of Islam and the friendship. I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm (the Arab and Islamic community's) keen desire to work to gather toward building long-lasting friendships and partnerships between our countries and the government and people of the Republic of Korea."
