Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan is a beautiful country with extremely hospitable people, similar to that of the Korean Republic, said Ambassador of the Korean Republic to Pakistan Dr Song Jong-hwan.

He emphasised the need to build a “cultural” motorway, like the M2, to further extend and strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries.

He expressed this during his visits to the Lahore Museum, the Gandhara Art Gallery and the National College of Arts on Thursday.

Dr Song on the occasion was welcomed the Lahore Museum director, who was accompanied by Gandhara Art and Culture Association General Secretary Esther Park, Chief Coordinator Zulfiqar Raheem and prominent artist Saeed Akhtar.

Dr Song visited many galleries of the Lahore Museum during his visit. The worthy Korean ambassador took keen interest in the ‘Fasting Buddha’ statue and other historic assets belonging to the Buddhist religion. He pointed out that these great cultural assets preserved in the Pakistani museums have a great religious and cultural importance in Buddhism all around the world, especially in Korea.

He informed that besides being a long time friend, Pakistan is also of great significance to the Korean people, as the land is the birthplace of Buddhism. Therefore, the Korean envoy maintained, like the motorway, which was built by the Koreans, we should also build a cultural highway to bring the people of both countries closer. He said that an annual exhibition would be held in Korea in September and with enhanced cultural exchanges, we can not only strengthen the cultural ties but can also promote tourism between the two countries since a lot of Koreans would love to come to Pakistan for religious reasons.

The Lahore Museum director presented souvenir to the Korean ambassador. Later, the ambassador visited National College of Arts where he was received by NCA Principal Dr Ali Jafferi. The ambassador spent some time in the renowned art institution and visited an ongoing exhibition about Pakistan Railways.

The Korean envoy admired the efforts of teachers and administration of NCA for promoting peace and mutual exchange between various countries through art.