The first visit by an Irish head of state to South Korea will strengthen bonds between the two countries, writes Jong Rak Kwon.
The President, Mrs McAleese, begins a three-day state visit to the Republic of Korea today. It is the first visit to South Korea by an Irish president since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1983.
As ambassador to Ireland I am very excited at the visit, not merely a personal honour, but also an important opportunity to enhance friendly relations between our two countries.
Mrs McAleese will bring with her a number of Irish business representatives, eager to expand their activities into Korea, as well as a troupe of Irish musicians and dancers, who will perform in Seoul and, as such, vividly demonstrate the joyful Irish culture.
Relations between Ireland and Korea have been expanding in recent years. The trade between our two countries exceeded $1.5 billion last year. Proportionately, more than half of this trade is in ICT (information and communications technology) products, the area in which both countries have a competitive edge. I believe that this is an area where our two governments can promote greater co-operation with mutual benefits.
Investment is another area which should be examined for further opportunities. Ireland is especially renowned for its investment-friendly environment. I hope that more Korean companies, many of which are global investors, will discover the merits of the investment climate here and come in the near future. Korea will of course warmly welcome Irish overseas investment in my country.
In recent months there was a very positive announcement concerning a Korean train-maker. This company, Rotem, a member of the Hyundai group, was successful in securing a contract for the supply of 120 rail carriages to Iarnród Éireann. They will deliver into service the most modern trains ever to operate in Ireland from late next year.
This is just one example of how our two countries can co-operate for mutual advantage. Korean companies have an international competitiveness in the production of cutting-edge products: in semiconductors, digital TVs, mobile phones, automobiles, shipbuilding and steel construction, among others. With that reality in mind, I hope that co-operative partnerships, harnessing the strengths of our two countries, will continue to be further expanded in the future.
When it comes to relations between countries, human contacts and exchanges also play important roles. Currently, there are about 1,000 Koreans living in Ireland.
This number may be small, but trends show an impressive increase currently taking place. Moreover, demographically speaking, the Korean community in Ireland consists mainly of young people, which is encouraging for the future development of bilateral relations. The flow of people from Ireland to Korea is also increasing. More than 200 Irish people get work visas to Korea as English instructors each year.
The Irish community in Korea is about 2,000-strong. Interestingly, the Korean Gaelic football team (of Irish men) has snatched victories for the past three years in the annual Asian Gaelic games competition, one of which Mrs McAleese herself witnessed.
Recently, the people of Korea have had more knowledge of Ireland, the country and its people. Last year, one Korean TV channel aired a drama entitled Ireland. Although the drama was not about Ireland itself, it publicised the country in one way or another.
Then came the news that Ireland is the best country in the world to live and work in, with Irish people enjoying a top quality of life. These findings were again covered widely in the Korean news media.
During the short period of six months since my arrival here, I have facilitated visits by eight consecutive media delegations, which were on reporting assignments to Ireland. Today, Ireland is all things positive to Koreans: the Celtic Tiger, top quality of life, beautiful nature and, of course, the vitality and hospitality of the people.
On the occasion of Mrs McAleese's state visit to Korea, I sincerely believe that the positive relations between our two countries will be further strengthened in various fields.
I hope that the visit will also serve to further promote Irish people's understanding of Korea.
Jong Rak Kwon is ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ireland