SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) — The Embassy of Canada in Seoul announced on Tuesday that figure skating legend Kim Yu-na has been appointed goodwill ambassador to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Canada in 2024.

The nomination ceremony took place yesterday at the embassy. Seoul and Ottawa will celebrate 60 years of official relations next year. Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires in South Korea, Tamara Mawhinney, said, “We are very honored to have you as Canada’s Honorary Ambassador on this special occasion,” according to the press release issued this morning.

For his part, Kim Yu-na said, “Personally, I have a special connection with Canada. In Canada I trained a lot as a skater and also won my gold medal there. I also like to remember the many Canadians who supported and encouraged me during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.”

“It gives me great pleasure to have been named Honorary Ambassador of Canada, a country that holds a special place in my heart, to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024,” she said.

In Ottawa, the South Korean embassy announced that Canadian actress of Korean descent, Jean Yoon, has also been named honorary ambassador to mark the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations. Yoon was one of the main characters in the TV series Kim’s Convenience, which aired on national public broadcaster CBC from October 2016 to April 2021.

She starred as Kim Young-mi in the sitcom, which told the story of a Korean immigrant family who runs a supermarket in Toronto while trying to somehow adjust to their new life in Canada and was a smash hit in the North American country. The series is available on Netflix starting today. South Korea’s Ambassador to Ottawa Lim Woong-soon said, “Ms. Yoon has sent a message of hope to all Korean immigrants currently residing in Canada.”