Ambassador of Cambodia to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay poses as she prepares for the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Courtesy of Embassy of Cambodia in Korea

Ambassador appreciates Korean first lady's visit to sick child

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made a trip to Cambodia from Nov. 11 to 13, attending a series of meetings, including the South Korea-ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Plus Three summit and East Asia Summit, to strengthen relations with Southeast Asian nations.

Ambassador of Cambodia to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay, who was in Phnom Penh to arrange the events, shared the behind-the-scenes effort with The Korea Times.

"My purpose is to try and help out at the ASEAN Summit, because, you know, people see the glitz and glamour, but actually, our team has been working day and night for months trying to prepare and make sure that everything is going according to plan," Chring said during a video interview with The Korea Times, Sunday.

"I was there during the whole thing and we were having so many forays you couldn't imagine. But then, as the meeting continued to roll, we could feel everything going according to plan and all the delegation are happy and the discussion was very fruitful. And I can say that all the participating countries are going back with a happy smile on their face."

Apart from the summits and official statements, Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee sparked controversy during the presidential trip as she visited a child suffering from a congenital heart disease in Phnom Penh and took photographs with him instead of participating in the official first spouses program prepared by the Cambodian government.

Kim's charity act backfired as she was criticized for staging the photoshoot and imitating a photo of actress Audrey Hepburn holding a sick child while visiting war-torn Somalia with UNICEF in 1992.

Ambassador Chring said people are "over-politicized" on this issue, noting that the official spouse program that provided an opportunity to experience the culture of Cambodia was not mandatory.

"From my perspective only, I can feel that the first lady, since this is her visit, really wanted to explore Cambodia and learn about the culture. It seems like the visit to the children's hospital is something meaningful to her personal interests, very dear to her heart. We're very appreciative of her lending support to the disabled children. We value her kindness and gesture," she said.

She added that Cambodian first lady Bun Rany, wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, is also interested in volunteer work for good causes and supportive of such programs.

"We are very appreciative of (Kim Keon-hee's) kindness to take time out of the visit to give motivation and support to these children," the ambassador said.

Cambodian Ambassador to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay, fifth from left, welcomes Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee as they arrive in Cambodia to attend the Korea-ASEAN Summit, Nov. 11. Courtesy of Embassy of Cambodia in Korea

Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge coming soon

The ambassador said the Korea-ASEAN Summit focused on strengthening cooperation between Korea and the ASEAN member states in building peace, security and social development as well as trade relations and to address environmental and health challenges.