“I had an enjoyable stay in Jeddah, but feel sad I am leaving behind many friends in the Saudi official and business, and diplomatic circles,” Han said in a message before leaving for Seoul with his wife. The Hans, who were present at all major national and international events here, said they were going back with lots of good memories.
“I used my stay here to study Islam and Arabic culture, and learned and regularly practiced scuba diving on the Red Sea,” he said.
During his tenure he has seen the expansion of bilateral trade volume, with the Kingdom becoming its fourth biggest trade partner. He also introduced some good Korean movies at the annual Asian Film Festival in the last four years. He is, however, disappointed that the number of Korean expatriates in the Kingdom has dwindled from 150,000 in 1970s to just around 2,000 now. About 10 Koreans are pursuing studies at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, while nearly 100 Saudi students are enrolled in Korean universities.
Han arrived in Jeddah on May 23, 2008 from Riyadh, where he was minister in the Korean Embassy.
“Our consulate had reopened just four months before I assumed charge, after a gap of nine years. “The economic crisis in Korea forced us to close the consulate from 1998 to 2007,” recalled Han who has been in diplomatic service for 30 years.
“During my stay here, I made efforts to introduce Arabic among my compatriots and Korean culture and tourism among Saudis,” said Han who served his country’s missions in Malaysia, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii before coming to the Kingdom.
Shin Yong-gi is coming this week from the Riyadh Embassy to take charge as successor to Han.
