PHNOM PENH, Nov.
24, 2011 (PRU) – Cambodia has allowed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
to build a cultural information centre (or welcome centre) in Siemreap, the
home of Angkor, as part of the government’s effort to attract more tourists.
In a meeting on
Thursday, His Excellency Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, told the North
Korean Ambassador H.E. Ri In Sok that Cambodia’s Apsara Authority is working
with North Korean experts to build the centre, which will serve as a welcome
centre for tourists who want information about Cambodia’s Angkorian history.
Officials of the
Apsara Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of
Siemreap are working with 60 Korean experts and concerned institutions to
ensure that the building design will feature the cultural values of both
Cambodia and Korea.
The building, 70
metres in diameter and 124 metres in height, will be decorated with artistic
works and drawings. Korean officials say that the world’s biggest artistic
drawing will be displayed at the centre.
Dr. Sok An, who
is also Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, told the
Ambassador that the centre will represent not only the image of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea but also the good bilateral relations of the two Asian
nations.
The outgoing
North Korean Ambassador Ri In Sok, who is leaving Cambodia on November 26 after
a four-year term, told Dr. Sok An that North Korea wants unification with South
Korea as soon as possible.
The Ambassador
was grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Royal Government of Cambodia
as a whole for facilitating his diplomatic mission in Cambodia.
“I am pleased
with the bilateral cooperation. I am pleased with the tremendous progress made
by Cambodia over the past years”, said Ambassador Ri In Sok in the meeting.
The Ambassador
said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues its good relations
with the Royal Government of Cambodia thanks to the diplomatic legacy of the
relations between His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk, now retired, and the late
Kim Il-Sung, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.