Shah Rukh Khan may soon become the “goodwill ambassador” of the Republic of Korea for India.
According to Joon-gyu Lee, Ambassador of Republic of Korea (South Korea) to India, Khan has accepted a proposal from the country in this regard.
“The popular Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan is going to be appointed as the Public Diplomacy Ambassador soon. Talks are on regarding the place and date of a ceremony to announce him as the Public Diplomacy Ambassador,” Lee said here on Monday.
The South Korean Ambassador was addressing an interactive session on Indo-Korean relations organised jointly by University of Calcutta and Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
According to Lee, the agreement with the actor would be initially be for one year.
Meanwhile, Lee said the newly elected and first female President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, would visit India early next year.
Commenting on the bilateral trade and cultural relations between the two countries, he pointed out that his country would look forward to opening more Korean Cultural Centres (KCC) in other parts of India.
At present, the only KCC is located in New Delhi.
Bilateral trade
Ever since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed between India and South Korea in 2010, the two-way trade has grown substantially, the Ambassador said.
The bilateral between the two countries stood at $18.8 billion last year and it is expected to touch $40 billion mark by 2015. According to Lee, the proposed $12 billion project in Odisha by Korean steel major Posco would significantly contribute to this target and be the “largest foreign direct investment” by a South Korean company in India.