Context: Recently, on the banks of the Sarayu in Ayodhya, the Ram Katha Park has been renovated which will be renamed as Queen Heo Hwang-ok memorial park. 
Key Points

• It is named after a Korean queen believed to have had Indian roots.
• It lies on the banks of the River Sarayu in Ayodhya.
• It has acres of green space, mostly known as Ram Katha Park.

Who was Queen Heo Hwang-ok?
Daughter of Padmasan

• She was a Korean queen who is believed to have been born Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya, daughter of King Padmasan and Indumati. 

Padmasan Kingdom

• Padmasan ruled the ancient kingdom of Kausala, a region that extended from present-day UP to Odisha.

Samguk Yusa

• Her story is described in Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of Three Kingdoms), a 13th-century collection of legends, folktales and history of Korea’s three kingdoms — Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla — and some other regions.

Married to Korean King

• In 48 BC, the princess, then 16, travelled to Korea from the ancient land of ‘Ayuta’ and married Kim Suro, founder and King of Geumgwan Gaya in south-eastern Korea. 
• She became the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya, believed to be located around modern-day Gimhae city in Southern Gyeongsang province. 

Her legacy

• More than six million present-day Koreans trace their lineage to Heo Hwang-ok. They belong to clans such as Gimhae Kim, Heo (the queen had asked the king that two of their sons be given her maiden name) and Lee. 
• Her direct descendants include Kim Yoon-ok, wife of former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. King Kim Suro and Queen Heo Hwang-ok birthed the Karak dynasty, whose descendants include former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil.

Paying homage

• Memorial Park: For years now, many Koreans have visited Ayodhya to pay homage to the queen’s ancestral home. In Gimhae in South Korea, two tombs, believed to be of Kim Suro and queen Heo Hwang-ok, are maintained as a memorial park. 
• Pagoda: A pagoda, believed to have been brought by the queen from India to calm the ocean gods, is placed next to the tomb. 
• Plays: Culturally, the queen has been part of Korea’s popular culture for years, with many plays and musicals based on her.

Why a Memorial Park in Ayodhya?
Agreement

• In 2000, India and South Korea signed an agreement to develop Ayodhya and Gimhae as sister cities. 
• In 2016, a proposal was sent by a South Korean delegation to refurbish the existing memorial. 
• Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed an MoU for developing the memorial. South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook attended the inauguration of the beautification work in 2018.
• The memorial now comprises Queen and King pavilions with their busts in place, and a pond to represent Princess Suriratna’s journey. 
• According to the legend, the princess had taken a golden egg to Korea, and the park includes an egg made of granite.

Indo-South Korean Friendship

• India and South Korea's establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries occurred in 1973.
• South Korea is currently the fifth-largest source of investment in India.
• Korean construction companies won grants for a portion of the many infrastructural building plans in India, such as the National Highways Development Project.
• Trade and economic relations between India and South Korea gathered momentum following the implementation of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2010.
• India and South Korea launched an initiative ‘Korea Plus’, to promote and facilitate Korean Investments in India.

Cultural relations

• To further enhance cultural exchanges between India and Korea, an Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) was established in Seoul in April 2011.
• ICC in Seoul and Busan offers regular classes on yoga and dance, both contemporary and classical for the promotion of Indian culture.
• Seoul Forum for International Affairs and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations have been jointly organizing the India-Korea Dialogue that makes recommendations on policies to strengthen bilateral relations.
• The government of India offers scholarships and fellowships to Korean nationals for various programs covering research work and non-formal courses every year to study in India.
• Good air connectivity between the two countries has been established with direct flights.