Anchor: President Park Geun-hye, accompanied by Uzbek President Islam Karimov, visited Samarkand on Wednesday. The visit followed a business forum on Tuesday where Park called for an upgrade in economic cooperation between the two countries.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more on the president’s visit to the UNESCO World Heritage city.
 
Report: President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday visited Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage city located on what was once the ancient Silk Road between China and the West.
 
Uzbek President Islam Karimov escorted Park through the historic sites, including the Registan Square and the Afrosiab Museum, which houses a 7th century mural with a Korean diplomat.
 
Samarkand is symbolic for historical relations between Korea and Central Asia as 8th century Korean documents discuss the city.  
 
Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook explained the meaning of Park’s tour to the historic city, citing exchanges made by Eurasia through the Silk Road.
 
President Karimov made the offer to accompany Park to the World Heritage city during a state dinner on Tuesday. Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was initially set to escort Park. During Tuesday’s dinner, Park said she hopes that South Korea and Uzbekistan will expand cooperation to open a new Silk Road express. Park noted that an image of a Goguryeo envoy wearing a feathered crown can be seen in ancient murals in Samarkand.
 
Also at a business forum attended by South Korean and Uzbek businesspeople, Park said once her vision of uniting Eurasia into one economic bloc comes true, Uzbekistan can once again enjoy the prosperities of the Silk Road.
 
Park said the two nations have made remarkable leaps in exchanges and cooperation 20 years after the establishment of diplomatic ties. 
 
She then stressed that now is the time for the two nations to upgrade their economic cooperation. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.