Gourangalal Das appointed India's next ambassador to South Korea

Das, a 1999-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the ministry. "He is expected to take up his new assignment in Seoul shortly," the MEA said in a statement.

The Indian Embassy in South Korea also announced on X.

"Gourangalal Das appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea", said the Embassy.

At present, Amit Kumar is serving as India's Ambassador to South Korea.

Earlier this month, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun visited New Delhi and held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. During his visit, Cho recalled his tenure in Delhi as Ambassador from 2015 to 2017, noting that India had undergone a significant transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

"I feel great to be back in Delhi. Ten years ago, I landed in the city and was humbled by the depth of India's culture and the warmth of its people. I was very proud to serve as the Korean Ambassador to India, during which time I witnessed the significant changes made under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. Now I see even more good changes in the past ten years. So I am very glad to be back here and meet my friends," Cho told ANI.

He also recalled his earlier meetings with Jaishankar, who served as India's Foreign Secretary from 2015 to 2018, saying the two discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and address regional and global challenges.

India and the Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations on December 10, 1973, while consular ties were set up in 1962. The relationship was elevated to a "Strategic Partnership" in 2010, and further upgraded to a "Special Strategic Partnership" during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Seoul in 2015.

In 2023, both nations commemorated 50 years of diplomatic relations with a series of events marking the milestone, according to the MEA. (ANI)