South Korea, June 10 (UPI) — It is the right time for South Korea to consider moving toward recognizing the State of Palestine, Seoul’s former ambassador to Israel said as several nations have taken the mostly symbolic step amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
“I think it is time for my government to give more attention to this issue,” Ma Young-sam, the former ambassador of South Korea to Israel and the inaugural chief of the nation’s office in Palestine, said late last month.
Ma made the comment during the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity held at the end of May on South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju. He was responding to the question of whether he thought South Korea should recognize a Palestinian state after the three European nations of Ireland, Spain and Norway had formally taken the step to do so just days earlier.
He was quick to state that he no longer represents Seoul as he is retired but said South Korea has recently voted three times in favor of Palestine becoming a member of the United Nations.
