Remarks by Consul General Young Kuk Park on the Occasion of Korean Vietnam War Association Dinner
Monday, 23 April 2007
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my great honour to extend sincere greetings to you all on the occasion of the Gala Night of Friendship of Australian and Korean Vietnam War Veterans. I would like to thank Mr Lee for making tonight’s event possible. And I wish to extend an especially warm welcome to Lt General Myung Shin Chae who has traveled from Korea to join us this evening. It is my personal honour to sit beside Lt General Chae who is respected throughout Korea for his distinguished career in the Korean army.
The timing of this Gala Night is very meaningful as Anzac Day approaches this week. Anzac Day is considered a defining event in Australia’s identity and history. This year Australia celebrates the 92nd anniversary of the failed campaign at Gallipoli where over 8,000 Australian soldiers lost their lives. Out of this tragedy, an intangible yet powerful legacy of the Anzac legend was bequeathed to Australians which helped to shape their future.
Tonight, we have gathered together to remember another conflict, the Vietnam War. Like Gallipoli, the Vietnam War was an unsuccessful war for Korean and Australian soldiers. However, arising out of this war was an enduring legacy of cooperation and a commitment to shared ideals and values between our two nations which continues to help shape our future.
What did we want to defend in Vietnam? What were the ideals and values we fought for in the war in Vietnam? Our two nations participated in the Vietnam War to uphold freedom and democracy. They did this because it is only through freedom and democracy that peace and prosperity are guaranteed. Not just peace and prosperity for individual countries, but world peace and global prosperity.
The history of the friendship between Australia and Korea dates back to the Korean War. Due to the assistance of Australian and other allied forces, Korea won the war and went on to develop a highly successful modern economy. During the Vietnam War we fought together and after the Vietnam War large scale Korean immigration to Australia took place. Since then, we have gone on to share friendship in other parts of the world such as East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
And although over time threats to world peace have not diminished but instead have evolved into new and different threats, both Korea and Australia remain united in their resolve to maintain and preserve world peace.
It is also important to look towards the future for our two countries. We can do this by noting some of the current linkages and areas of cooperation between Korea and Australia. These linkages cover trade – currently estimated at $16 billion – to people to people exchanges, to the number of Koreans living in Australia – currently over 100,000 – and the number of tourists, students and visitors to Australia – visitors estimated at over 230,000.
Sydney is home to the largest Korean community in Australia. Sydney will also be home to the planned Korean War Memorial. The Memorial will commemorate the friendship between our two countries which originated during the Korean War period and which has firmed through our shared efforts in Vietnam and many other places.
I hope that we can call on your cooperation and assistance in the building of the War Memorial. It will be an emblem of cooperation in Sydney where visitors and residents can gather to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers and future generations will remember their sacrifices.
In closing, I would like to thank the Australian and Korean war veterans and their families for their attendance tonight and I hope that they enjoy the proceedings.
Thank you.