South Korea will send a former chief of staff for President Lee Myung-bak and a ruling party lawmaker as special envoys to Colombia's presidential inauguration, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos of the ruling Social Party of National Unity will be sworn in on Aug. 7 after winning the June election with 69 percent of support.
Chung Chung-kil, who served as chief of staff for President Lee until last month, and Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the ruling Grand National Party will
attend the inauguration, the ministry said in a statement.
The envoys will deliver a message from President Lee that South Korea hopes cooperation with Colombia will continue to advance based on the relationship forged in blood during the 1950-53 Korean War, the ministry said.
Colombia was the only country in Central and South America to dispatch troops to help South Korea against North Korea. Colombia sent a total of 4,314 troops and suffered 214 casualties in the war effort, the ministry said.