New Year’s Message from the US Consul General
Here is a New Year’s message I received via e-mail from the US Embassy.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My family and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you
here in the Republic of Korea a Happy New Year.
In 2005 we said good-bye to Ambassador Christopher Hill, as he returned
to Washington to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian
and Pacific Affairs and lead our delegation to the Six-Party Talks on
the North Korean nuclear issue. In October we welcomed to Seoul
Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, a career member of the Foreign Service with
extensive experience in East-West relations and non-proliferation.
President Roh’s visit to the United States, President Bush’s visit to the
Republic of Korea for APEC and bilateral talks, and visits by the
Secretaries of State and Defense illustrate the strength of the U.S.-Korea
alliance and its importance to both countries.
For the coming new year, the American Citizen Services Unit renews its
commitment to process applications for passports and reports of birth,
as well as requests for other services, as quickly as possible. We are
proud that we have reduced processing time for passports to an average
of seven business days – much faster than passport applications are
processed state-side.
This past year we worked, and will continue to work, with U.S. Forces
Korea to refine our plans for a noncombatant evacuation operation, which
we all hope never to have to execute. In 2006, we expect that even
more Americans will register their stay in Korea with the Embassy. We
wish you a pleasant stay in Korea, whether as a long-term resident or a
short-term visitor, and urge you to check our website periodically for
the latest information about matters that may be of interest to you while
in Korea.
Again, my family and I, and everyone in the Consular Section, wish you
a happy, healthy and safe New Year and best wishes for 2006.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Kirby
Consul General
United States Embassy Seoul
