On 28 March 2016, launching the groundbreaking ceremony of about 60 Kilometers national road 21 segment from the roundabout at Takhmao through to the district of Saang of Kandal province, Samdech Techo Hun Sen stated with pride about the Cambodian foreign policy to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, while in the past it only recognized North Korea. “I am proud of the foreign policy that I determined to establish relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, or South Korea … In the past we had only relations with the North and not with the South. I was (determined to) get it done by all means,” Samdech said. Also reiterated was that the establishment of the diplomatic relations and exchanges of leaders’ visits between the two countries had resulted in none-interest aid and loans, especially increasing number of tourists from Korea to Cambodia.
While reminding that the two countries were like two in laws because of nearly ten thousand interracial Korean-Cambodian from marriages of Cambodian women to Korean men, Samdech Techo also urged the Korean side to provide further assistance. He suggests the South Korean ambassador informs President Park Geun-hye to provide a further amount of about ten million USD to complete the phase-ii construction of another eight to ten Kilometers./.