Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday received diplomatic credentials from eight new ambassadors to South Korea, including the new envoy from India, the presidential office said. The envoys included Gourangalal Das of India, Eva Russek of Austria, Khuon Phon Rattanak of Cambodia, Bernadette Therese Fernandez of the Philippines, Hazem Zaki of Egypt, Kojo Choi of Ghana, M.K Pathmanathan of Sri Lanka, and Wael Hachem of Lebanon.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the ambassadors presented their credentials to President Lee during a ceremony held at the presidential office, marking the third such event since Lee's inauguration in June. Presenting credentials to the head of state is a formal procedure for new ambassadors to assume their roles officially.

During the ceremony, President Lee expressed his hopes for broadening and deepening relations with each of the countries represented by the new ambassadors. He urged the envoys to serve as a "bridge" in expanding cooperation in areas such as the economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, as stated by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung in a written briefing.

The ambassadors acknowledged South Korea's successful hosting of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. They pledged to work towards strengthening cooperation in various fields, Kang added.