South Korean First Lady Will be Chief Guest at Deepotsav in Ayodhya

Lucknow: This Diwali, South Korea’s First Lady Kim Jung-Sook will be the chief guest at the Deepotsav in Ayodhya.

Sook will be in India from November 4 to 7. She is also scheduled to attend the ground breaking ceremony of Queen Suriratma memorial in Ayodhya.

“She will be the chief guest at the Deepotsav event being organised by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh and the ground-breaking ceremony of the Queen Suriratma (Heo Hwang-ok) Memorial in Ayodhya on 6th November 2018,” read a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The South Korean First Lady will be participating in festivities in Ayodhya and will be shown the close civilisational links as well as the ongoing deepening engagement between the two countries.

An MoU regarding the Queen Suriratna Memorial Project was signed in July 2018, during the India visit of President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In, to facilitate upgrade and expansion of the existing monument commemorating Princess Suriratna (Queen Hur Hwang-ok).

It is believed that princess Suriratna of Ayodhya travelled to Korea and married King Kim - who was also later known as Hur Hwang-ok in 48 AD. Many Koreans, along with wife of former President Lee Myung-bak, Kim Yoon-ok and another former President Kim Young-sam, trace their ancestry to the royal couple.

Meanwhile, Ayodhya is abuzz with the preparations for the Deepotsav festival. Senior government officials, ministers, MLAs and MPs are monitoring the arrangements for the grand festival in Ayodhya.

More than 750 artists from various countries have been roped in for the Grand Diwali celebrations. A grand Shobha Yatra will also be taken out on this occasion and it will culminate on the banks of Saryu River. According to officials involved in preparations of Deepotsav 2018, 15 cultural groups from the state, along with cultural groups from five different states, will be participating inthe event.