REMARKS BY CONSUL GENERAL YOUNG KUK PARK on KOREAN NATIONAL DAY AT STRANGERS DINING ROOM, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
WEDNESDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2007
_________________________________________________________________
It is a great honour for me to address you today at this celebration of Korean National Day which actually falls on the 3rd of October. Korean National Day is unique. Although we established our modern nation after WWII, we celebrate the 3rd of October as ‘The Day of Open Sky’ or 'National Foundation Day' when our ancestors established ‘Old Chosun’ more than four thousand years ago.
Usually at National Day celebrations, people look back on their histories and consider current bilateral relations. But I urge you to remain at ease. I won’t cover four thousand years of history today!
I would, however, like to touch upon some aspects of recent history only. Since the end of the Korean War, Korea has become the world’s 13th largest economy with the 12th largest trade volume. In addition to this achievement, Korea is a strong supporter of multilateralism having produced the current UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, and is currently contributed peacekeeping troops and observers to 12 different countries.
Korea is also the world’s most successful democratic developing country. We deserve to be proud of that fact but we do not forget the help and assistance we have received from our friends.
Now I would like to mention the bilateral relationship between Korea and Australia. I am pleased to state that the ties between Korea and Australia continue to develop across many fields – from trade to culture, sport and education and people to people exchange.
First, in year one of my term I welcomed my President to Sydney twice. The first state visit of President Roh to Australia took place last December. The second, in September this year, when Sydney hosted the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting. Both visits were successful and enhanced our mutual relationship.
Second, our trade and investment ties continue to grow strongly. Korea remains Australia’s 4th largest trade partner and 3rd biggest export market. Bilateral trade this year increased to over 19 billion Australian Dollars and is growing an average of 19% per year. Bilateral investment also continues to grow. Korean investment in Australia is led by natural resource giants POSCO and Korea Zinc while Australian investment in Korea is dominated by financial services companies such as Macquarie Bank.
An Australian-Korean Free Trade Agreement is also on the horizon with the joint feasibility study expected to conclude this year. Following that, discussion will turn to commencing official negotiations, perhaps as early as next year.
Third, cultural cooperation. As you know, Korean culture is unique due to the fact that we maintained our mostly homogenous nation for several thousand years. This unique heritage is a source of pride for Koreans who are eager to contribute to Australia’s multicultural society through cultural exchanges and activities which promote mutual understanding and tolerance.
Over the past few months, our Consulate has been busy supporting a number of cultural events organized by the Korean Society in Sydney. On September 22nd, we celebrated Korean Thanksgiving Day or ‘Chuseok’ with a two day festival at Darling Harbour. The following week we celebrated the launch of Korea Week 2007 with a multicultural festival at Eastwood. I am pleased to say these events enjoyed the widespread support and participation of the wider community and inspired broader awareness and appreciation of Korean culture.
Fourth, you will love this – sports. Our sporting links extend to both competition and collaboration. In terms of competition, the impact of Korean sportsmen and women are beginning to register on the consciousness of sports mad Australia. In March of this year, the current swimming champion of Korea, Park Tae Whan, caused a splash in Australian swimming when he broke the 400m and 1500 metre records set by the Australian dynasty of Kieran Perkins, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett at the Pan-Pacific swimming championships in Victoria. Park Tae Whan will be someone to watch at the Beijing Olympics. Another noteworthy achievement is that at the recent annual Korean National Sports Festival, an Australian team consisting of Korean-Australians came first place in the overseas division.
However, we not only compete but share remarkably common experiences in our sporting development. For example, our two countries’ soccer teams were transformed through the genius of their mutual coach Guus Hiddink. Both teams made it through to the World Cup, Korea in 2002 when it achieved 4th place, and Australia in 2006 when it reached the quarter finals. Both countries experienced enormous pride in their teams’ performances.
And as further evidence of our strengthening sporting ties, Korean companies are making a valuable contribution to Australian sports through their respective sponsorship programs. Hyundai continues its major sponsorship of the A-League, as does KIA Motors with its major sponsorship of the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne each year.
Fifth, people to people exchange. Korean immigrants in Australia number more than 100,000 with the population in Sydney now exceeding 70,000. It is remarkable that this relatively young migrant community, with only about 40 years of history, has become so firmly established in Australian society in such a short space of time. Korean emigration is considered one of the success stories of Australia’s multicultural policy as Koreans today take a more active role in their society.
At this moment, I would like to touch upon the erection of the Korean War Memorial in Sydney. Thanks to the Premier of NSW, a site was granted in Moore Park and planning is well underway with the winning design being selected recently by the Australian and Korean War Veterans Memorial Committee. It is hoped that the project will be concluded by 2008.
The memorial is intended to convey the gratitude of the Korean community to Australia for its support during the Korean War and it will symbolize the long term friendship between Korea and Australia. I thank all supporters and donors.
In other examples of people to people exchanges, the number of Korean visitors to Australia climbs annually with over 276,000 expected this year. Also, Korea remains one of the top source countries for international students studying in Australia. Last year, 25,000 Korean students were enrolled in Australian schools and universities, comprising 8% of all international students and making it the third largest source country. In addition, as of March this year, 21,671 Koreans were issued Working Holiday Visas to Australia, making it the second largest number after the UK.
So far I have covered the bilateral relationship between Korea and Australia. I think I may have covered too much. But before concluding I have to mention briefly the recent developments on the Korean peninsula.
At the beginning of October an historic step towards peace and prosperity was made when President Roh visited Pyongyang for talks with Chairman Kim Jong il at the second inter-Korean summit. President Roh also made history as the first South Korean leader to cross the demilitarized zone line on foot, a powerfully symbolic act.
During the two day summit, the two leaders committed to redoubling their efforts to achieve peace in the region. Chairman Kim reaffirmed his commitment to disabling the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and declaring all nuclear programs, consolidating the gains made at the Six Party Talks which took place in Beijing at the end of September.
As well as the nuclear issue, the two leaders discussed the ongoing progress of inter-Korean economic cooperation, the expansion of family reunions under the Inter-Korean Reconciliation agreement, and the upgrading of inter-Korean dialogue to prime ministerial level from November onwards. With the release of the ‘Declaration for Advancing Inter-Korean Relations and Peace and Prosperity’ by President Roh and Chairman Kim at the conclusion of the summit, a new era of advancement in inter-Korean relations has been entered into.
Although events look promising, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to use constructive dialogue, diplomacy and practical measures to further the case for peace. In this respect, we are grateful to Australia for its continuing support and encouragement of the unification process and the Six-Party Talks.
I would like to conclude by saying that I believe the current state of Korean-Australian relations is successful, optimistic and dynamic. I am confident that our good relations will continue into the future.
Thank you once again for joining me today at our reception for Korean National Day.