President Moon Jae-in attended a ceremony to receive letters of credence from five new ambassadors to Korea at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae at 10:00 this morning.

Today’s ceremony was the first of its kind since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in Administration. President Moon received credentials from Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa Fischer, Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi, Nepali Ambassador to Korea Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh, Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitali Fen and Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Rahim Hayat Qureshi.

The ceremonial protocol for receiving letters of credence under the Moon Jae-in Administration has been transformed in a practical manner. The changes can be summed up as creating a more friendly ambiance and enhancing courtesy while maintaining international practices and formalities. First, ambassadors can bring up to four family members to the ceremony. Second, ambassadors are allowed to make brief greeting remarks unlike in the past when all participants had to keep quiet except for the chief of protocol. Third, the taking of commemorative photographs has been expanded so that not only ambassadors but those who accompany them, including their family members, can also be photographed. Fourth, the arrangement of seating at the reception has been changed to resemble a lounge creating a comfortable atmosphere. Fifth, when ambassadors pass by the guard of honor, music is played.

Among the ambassadors who presented their letter of credence today, Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitali Fen, a member of the ethnic Korean community in the Central Asian country, had been working in Korea as an ambassador successively for 18 years until 2013 and has now been reassigned to the post, adding to the uniqueness of his career. 

Congratulating the new ambassadors, President Moon asked them to play the role of a bridge and work with Korea to build relations of greater friendship and higher trust with their countries.