His Excellency Mr. KIM Chang–sik presented his Letter of Credence to the Head of State, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, at the credential ceremony held this afternoon accrediting him as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Samoa with residence in Wellington, New Zealand. 

During the credential ceremony, both the Head of State and the Ambassador in their remarks acknowledged the friendly and cordial relations between Samoa and Korea since the establishment of diplomatic relations in September 1972. Ambassador Kim highlighted the importance of working together and referred to Samoa’s participation at the first Korean- Pacific Summit earlier this year as a step to further strengthen its partnership in the region. The Ambassador also expressed his gratitude for Samoa’s invaluable support for Korea’s successful election to the non–permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council for 2024- 2026 term as well as for the support towards its bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, Korea. 

In his responding remarks, the Head of State acknowledged Korea’s assistance to Samoa through various projects and short term training opportunities through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which assisted in the up–skilling and capacity building for Samoa’s workforce. He also acknowledged the monetary assistance from the government of Korea alongside other development partners to assist with Samoa’s preparations towards hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October 2024. The Head State expressed his confidence in the appointment of H.E KIM Chang–sik as the Ambassador of Korea to Samoa as it will further strengthen bilateral ties and yield many opportunities for both Governments. 

His Excellency Mr. Kim Chang–sik is a career diplomat who served in various positions within the Government of Korea. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 where he had an extensive career serving at a number of Korean Embassy’s around the world. He served as the Director for the Human Resources Policy Division, as the Director of Security Policy Division and as the Director of Security and Counter–Terrorism Cooperation Division of MOFAT Mr. KIM served in the position of Counsellor of the Korean Embassies in Russia and the United Kingdom and as Minister–Counsellor of the Korean Embassy in Portugul. He was appointed as Ambassador of Korea to Angola in 2019 and in October 2022 as Ambassador of Korea to New Zealand with cross accreditation to the Pacific Island countries including Samoa.