Obituary: Uzbek Ambassador Vitali Fen – “I respect your sense of responsibility and passion for putting your all into it until the very end”

The last photo of Ambassador Vitali Fen. This photo was taken during an interview with the Uzbek state-run Dunyo News Agency on June 14, 2024.

By Choi Young-ha,
Former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Uzbekistan

SEOUL: Vitali! He is a descendant of Pyeon Galsong (片碣頌) of the Zhejiang Pyeon clan (浙江片氏), who spent 25 years, one-third of his 77-year life, in Seoul. He was a career diplomat who connected Korea and Uzbekistan, a historical figure who left a truly great mark, and a prominent figure in the Korean community.

Dong-A Ilbo article dated September 8, 1988 featuring an article about Ambassador Pyeon Vitali (Naver News Library)

The first time he set foot on Korean soil was at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. When the Soviet Union was in disarray due to Gorbachev’s reforms and opening up, the Soviet Union dramatically decided to participate in the Seoul Olympics, which made the Korean people excited and turned their attention to the north. As vice-captain of the Soviet Union athletes, he marched in front of the Soviet athletes holding the Soviet flag at the opening ceremony of the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. He was 41 years old at the time. A heavyweight boxer in his youth, he was vice-chairman (deputy minister of sports) of the Sports Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan under the Soviet Union.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the Republic of Uzbekistan became independent and established diplomatic relations with Korea in 1992, President Karimov sent Vitali as the first ambassador to Korea. In 1995, he was 48 years old. President Karimov’s first lady Karimova’s father and Vitali’s father had been friends in their hometown of Fergana for a year, but since he was a rare Korean talent who spoke five languages, including Korean, President Karimov took over at the right time.

When I took office as the second ambassador to Uzbekistan in March 1997, he returned home with his family in time to introduce the newly appointed Korean ambassador to Uzbek government officials and invited him to his hometown, Fergana Margilan, where his parents and various officials met. I have fresh memories of sitting together and having dinner together. From then on, when I went on business trips to Fergana, I would not stay at a hotel, but stayed at his parents’ house.

Photo taken shortly after Ambassador Choi Young-ha took office in 1997. Ambassador Choi is second from the left, and Ambassador Pyeon Vitali is on the immediate right.

He recorded a tenure as ambassador that is rare in the world. He returned to office after completing his first 18-year term, but after the death of President Karimov and the new government of Mirziyoyev, he was reappointed in 2017 and served for another seven years until his death. All served as ambassadors for 25 years. This breaks the record set by Anatoly Dobrynin, who was the Soviet ambassador to the United States during the Cold War from 1962 to 1986.

The achievements he achieved during his 25 years in office are widely known without having to list them all. He recently held 12 summit meetings between the two countries, including the summit between President Yoon Seok-yeol and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and played a major role in achieving many achievements.

I think about his recent actions. His heart tightens as he imagines how he must have been on a plane to Tashkent for a long flight to attend the summit, with his aching body in a state of life and death, with only a sense of responsibility. Of course, it was a mission I had to fulfill as an ambassador. But he should have rested. Isn’t there anything more precious than life?

Ambassador Won Do-yeon attends the burial ceremony on June 19 and comforts his bereaved family and acquaintances.

After the summit, he gave an interview to the local state-run news agency, looking gaunt. He closed his eyes three days later, marking the end of his public life. Since he went to his hometown and ended his life, he must have passed away with a peaceful mind. I can only bow my head and become solemn at the sense of responsibility and passion of the deceased, who carried out his mission with all his might until the very end.

The day before he leaves for Tashkent, the promise he made to me to meet him when he returns from work is ringing in my ears. We pray for eternal rest and rest in peace next to his beloved wife, Ruda, who predeceased him three years ago.