Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

The President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli met with Kang Kymgu, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to Azerbaijan.

At the meeting held at the Presidium of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli underlined that South Korea is a reliable partner country for Azerbaijan, and relations in all areas, including science and education continue to expand. Our country attaches special importance to relations with Asian nations and states, and that South Korea holds a significant place among them.

Providing information about scientific relations between Azerbaijan and South Korea, Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that two international symposiums were jointly organized by the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS and the Institute for Eurasian Turkic Studies of Dongduk Women’s University of Korea. He emphasized that Professor Oh Eun-kyung, the Head of the Institute for Eurasian Turkic Studies of Korea, has made significant contributions to the development of scientific relations between our countries.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli noted that at the recent international scientific conference held at ANAS on the topic “Urbanization Processes in the Caucasus and Surrounding Regions in Antiquity” along with Azerbaijani archaeologists, specialists from South Korea also participated. He mentioned that as a result of the joint work of archaeologists from both countries, archaeological research is currently being conducted in Gabala, and that he plans to visit the site soon.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that there are relations between the scientific institutions of Azerbaijan and South Korea in the fields of literature, history, archaeology, philosophy, and other areas. As a result, the signing of a cooperation agreement between the academies of both countries would be beneficial for expanding joint research activities.

The head of ANAS also mentioned that he is deeply interested in South Korean literature and that he was impressed by “The Vegetarian,” a novel by South Korean writer Han Kang, who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. He emphasized that he wrote an article titled “Anlamağın ağır yükü” (“The Heavy Burden of Understanding”) about the novel, which was published in Azerbaijan’s “Ədəbiyyat qəzeti” (Literature Newspaper) as well as in famous “Literaturnaya Gazeta.”

The head of ANAS also shared several of his memories related to South Korea and expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the scientific institutions of this country.

In turn, Kang Kymgu, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to Azerbaijan expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality and said that he was impressed by Academician Isa Habibbeyli’s love for South Korean culture.

Ambassador Kang Kymgu, who said that he first visited our country in 2006, emphasized that he knows Azerbaijan well and that, in addition to the development of relations between our states, it is also important to further strengthen the ties between our peoples. He stated that he would visit Gabala to observe the ongoing archaeological research on site and noted that the joint expedition has given an impetus to the strengthening of our humanitarian relations. On this occasion, he expressed his gratitude to Academician Isa Habibbeyli and to Ruhangiz Heydarova, the Chairperson of SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korea Cultural Exchange Association.

The ambassador emphasized that he would provide the necessary support for establishing relations between ANAS and the Academy of the Republic of South Korea. He mentioned that he had also read Han Kang’s novel “The Vegetarian” and was pleased that such a work had been translated into Azerbaijani. He noted that Azerbaijan has an ancient history and culture, as well as world-famous poets and writers, and emphasized that one day Azerbaijanis would also win the Nobel Prize.

After the speeches, mutual gifts were exchanged. Then the ambassador toured the Presidium building of ANAS, and commemorative photos were taken.

Reyhan Majidli, Public Relations, Press and Information Department of the Presidium Administration of ANAS

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