Gourangalal Das Named India’s Next Ambassador to South Korea

The Ministry of External  Affairs (MEA) has announced on Wednesday that senior diplomat Gourangalal Das has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea.

Gourangalal Das is a 1999 batch officer of The Indian Foreign Services who is currently  serving as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry.

The MEA said in a statement that he is expected to take up his new assignment is Seoul shortly. The Indian Embassy in South Korea also made the announcement through X. Amit Kumar is presently serving as India’s Ambassador in South Korea.

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

Cho told ‘’ 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 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 Narendra Modi’s leadership. Now I see even more good changes in the past ten years. So I’m very glad to be back here and meet my friends.”

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 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 during PM  Modi’s visit to Seoul in 2015.

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

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