Seoul, June 17 (IANS) Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is headed for a global journey as South Korea joins other countries in honouring the poet by installing his bust in Seoul on his 150th birth anniversary next year.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak warmly responded to India’s request when visiting External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna called on him here and suggested that a bust of Tagore be installed at a prominent location in Seoul.
‘Lee said that he would make a strong recommendation to the concerned city authorities to identify a suitable location for installing the bust of ‘Gurudev’, as Tagore was called, in 2011, the 150th birth anniversary of the poet laureate,’ the external affairs ministry said here.
Last month, a bust of Tagore was unveiled in Shanghai during President Pratibha Patil’s visit to China.
Krishna began his three-day visit to South Korea Thursday and discussed with Lee at the Blue House, the presidential residence, a range of bilateral and global issues.
During the talks, Lee agreed with India’s proposal to launch its satellites on Indian launch vehicles. India and South Korea had signed a pact on civilian space cooperation during Lee’s landmark visit to India in January.
‘President Lee agreed with the suggestion and asked his officials to do the necessary follow-up,’ said the ministry.
Krishna will co-chair the sixth meeting of the joint commission here Friday with his South Korean counterpart Yu Myung-hwan and hold discussions on on a wide range of issues, including expansion of economic, defence and cultural ties between the two countries.
The two sides are expected to discuss the contours of a bilateral civilian nuclear deal and map out steps to double their trade to $30 billion by 2014.
