PESHAWAR: Senior Minister Muhammad Atif Khan has said that Pakistan and South Korea bilateral ties will further be cemented through promotion of tourism and culture and people-to-people contacts.
Talking to Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to Pakistan, H.E. Kwak Sung-Kyu, who along with a delegation called on senior minister here Friday, Atif Khan said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was a holy place for Koreans as Buddhism reached Korea from this part of the world through a monk named Maralanda [Maranatha] in 4th century CE.
Korean Buddhism can be directly traced back to the Gandhara civilization, he said.
The senior minister said that many Buddhist holy sites, monasteries, and archaeological ruins were located in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The senior minister and Korean envoy discussed various matter pertaining to mutual interests. The ambassador congratulated the senior minister on forming the government in Centre and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
