Shah Rukh Khan Appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for South Korea

Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood actor, was on 23 October 2013 appointed as the goodwill ambassador for South Korea. He was appointed as the public diplomat as well as an ambassador of India’s soft power.  

Shah Rukh Khan will visit South Korea before the maiden visit to The President of South Korea- Park Geun-hye. It is important to note that India and South Korea have signed a civil nuclear agreement already but it is still not operational. 

Shah Rukh Khan was also invited by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on his first visit to India at the formal dinner with the prime minister. In the year 2008, Shah Rukh Khan was given the title of Datuk, which is equivalent to the British Knighthood. This title was given to him by the Governor of Malaysia’s southern Malacca state, Mohamad Khalil Yaacob. 

International Recognition and Honour for Shah Rukh Khan

• In the year 2007, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) by the French government.
• In 2008, the magazine Newsweek named him as one of the 50 most powerful people of the world. He was ranked at number 41.
• In 2009, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in arts and culture by the Great Britain's University of Bedfordshire. In the same year, he was awarded a Black Belt Honorary in taekwondo by the South Korean government.
• In 2010, he was recognised as the icon of religious unity by experts from all across the world at a conference in Vienna University. The same year, he also became the first Indian actor to be honoured with the opportunity of signing the guest book at Berlin's Town Hall.
• In 2011, he was honoured with L’Etoile d’Or by Mohammed VI of Morocco the King of Morocco during Eleventh International Film Festival of Marrakech. He was the first Indian to be given this honour.
• In the year 2012, he was conferred upon the Morocco's highest honour- Wissame Al Kafaa Al Fikria (award of intellectual merit). This was given to him at the 12th International Film Festival of Marrakech by Prince Moulay Rachid.
• Finally, in the year 2013, he was appointed as the goodwill ambassador by the Government of South Korea. 

Who is a Goodwill Ambassador?

• Goodwill Ambassador is actually a collective term which is basically a title of honor for an Ambassador of Goodwill. 
• It is primarily a job position which is given to an individual from a country. 
• The role of Goodwill Ambassadors is to deliver the goodwill or promote the ideals from one place or entity to another. 
• The goodwill ambassador may be an individual from one nation who lives or travels to another nation in a diplomatic mission or an international friendship mission.