Korea's deputy FM attends Iran's new president inauguration ceremony

Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, right, shakes hands with Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian in Iran, in this picture provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 31. Yonhap

Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won has attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Chung represented the Korean government at the ceremony, which took place in Tehran on Tuesday (local time), according to the ministry.

In a separate meeting, Chung congratulated Pezeshkian on his inauguration and expressed hope for continued development in the 60-year-long friendly relations between Korea and Iran.

In response, Pezeshkian acknowledged the importance of the bilateral ties and expressed his desire for closer cooperation between the new Iranian government and Korea.

Pezeshkian, 69, was sworn in as Iran's ninth president. Unlike his predecessor, who was known for his hard-line conservative stance, Pezeshkian is classified as a moderate reformist. (Yonhap)