Port of Call from Korea
Officers of the ship, ROKS Choi Young, welcome on-board visitors with smiling faces at Chennai port on Saturday.(Photo: DC)
Chennai: As part of an initiative to strengthen the friendship between India and the Republic of Korea as well as to interact with the 4,000 strong Korean community in Chennai, two Korean naval ships docked at the city port on Saturday.
During their four-day stay here, the 650 personnel on board will participate in various activities. Their agenda includes a cleanup of Marina beach on Monday, visit to historic places like St. Thomas Mount and calling on important dignitaries like Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah and Chennai Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy.
The two ships, Choi Young and Cheonji, were welcomed by the Korean consul general in Chennai, Kyung-soo Kim, officers of the Indian Navy and special invitees from the Korean consulate. The ships followed the same sea route that a princess of Ayodhya took to reach Korea where she married a king of the Gaya dynasty.
Speaking to reporters on board, the commander of the two ships Rear Admiral Jungsoo Chun said it was it their first ever visit to Chennai. “During our stay here, we hope to boost relationship with the Korean community here as well as stimulate the Korean businesses in Chennai,” he said.
Among the visitors was 25- year-old Mihwa Je from Pune, who had come to meet her brother, a navel cadet, said, “This visit will go a long way in strengthening relationship between the people of the two countries.” Mr K. Kannan, 49, a special invitee of the consulate, was impressed by the Korean punctuality. “The two Korean naval ships docked on the dot. I brought my family, including my kids to see a foreign naval ship up close,” he said.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
