A friendly ambassador comes calling …

Friendly and understanding South Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Cho Byungjae visited Bernama today to acquaint himself with the national news agency.

Bringing along four high-ranking embassy officials, the ambassador said he wanted to have a better understanding of Bernama whom he described as “the most important communication media entity in Malaysia”.

‘We rely upon Bernama news and I myself is a regular visitor to the Bernama website,” said Cho, who arrived in Malaysia three months ago to take up the posting.

He said he watched English bulletin on Bernama TV apart from CNN and BBC.

“We also believe Bernama is the most appropriate medium for us to have a better understanding of what’s going on in the country and what the government intends to do,” he said.

It is also the channel they turned to, to know what the leaders and high-ranking officials are talking about.

His delegation comprises Minister and Consul General/Deputy Chief of Mission Yoon Changyul, Political Counsellor Park Heung Kweun, Economic Counsellor Park Jung Sung and First Secretary Koh Sang Wook, who is in charge of media affairs.

“These days we believe that people to people exchange and people-to-people contact is the most important foundation on which we can build our relationship,” he said.

This kind of people-to-people exchange and mutual understanding could be most effectively and efficiently done through media.

“That’s why communication is very important and Bernama is the most important communication media here in Malaysia and that’s why we are here,” he said.

“We just want to have some better understanding,” said Cho.

When told that a delegation of 10 South Korean journalists had visited Bernama last week, he said it was part of the Asean-South Korea exchange programme.

Some Malaysian journalists had also visited South Korea under the programme.

“At the recent Cyberspace conference in Seoul, we had the privilege of having a Bernama reporter to cover the event,” he said in reference to journalist Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said of the International News Service.

“We appreciate of what you’re doing,” said the ambassador who was briefed about Bernama by General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong.

“In Korea we have two separate entities, one is television KBS which is sponsored by the government and news agency, Yonhap also sponsored by the government.

“One television and the other news agency but here Bernama has TV and news agency…that means in terms of power, Bernama has more than their Korean counterpart,” he quipped.