Celebrating 40 years of Singapore, South Korea diplomatic ties

ON SEPT 3, Singapore and South Korea celebrate their 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationships with a roundtable at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on urbanisation, migration and inequality.

In many ways, August is an important month in the histories of both Singapore and South Korea. On the morning of Aug 9, 1965, the Malaysian Parliament unanimously voted for a constitutional amendment expelling Singapore from Malaysia. Hours later, the Singapore Parliament passed the Independence Act proclaiming the island to be an independent and sovereign republic.

On Aug 15, 1945 South Korea became an independent republic when 36 years of Japanese occupation ended. These two historic events make 2015 a landmark year for both the countries. It is the 70th anniversary of South Korea's independence and the 50th anniversary for Singapore as a nation. Furthermore, in August 1975, the countries formalised diplomatic relationships as well, which makes this year the 40th anniversary of continuous diplomatic ties between the two countries.