2022 National Day of Korea
Speech by H.E. Mr. Moon Seoung-hyun
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Thailand
| Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, My fellow Koreans, I thank you all for attending our reception. We gather tonight to celebrate the Korean National Foundation Day, which falls on October 3rd. Our founding mythology tells us that Koreans are resilient, peace loving and harmonious. We have survived many challenges on the path destiny brought, and maintained a strong identity as Koreans. I am so glad that we can finally get together in person for the first time in the past three years. The last three years threw many unprecedented, even devastating challenges to us all. However, those times were also a clear reminder that a spirit of humanity, solidarity and creativity are the best tools to tide over even the most pressing of challenges. This pandemic is not the end of global crisis we will be faced with. Impacts of climate change are ever growing and now spotted in our daily lives. Geo-political confrontation is generating many ramifications across the globe. In this sense, it is just timely and relevant that the upcoming APEC 2022 sets its theme as “Open. Connect. Balance”. I am confident that we will step up our efforts to revitalse the economy after the pandemic, to find new opportunities and restore connectivity in all dimensions, and pursue a right balance for sustainable and inclusive development. |
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Thailand has been a long standing ally and friend to Korea. The Koreans never forget, and are forever grateful that Thailand nobly sent its troops during the Korean War in the early 1950s to protect our new born Republic. Over more than 60 years since then, our relations have only grown in every aspect, and we are celebrating some landmark years recently; this year marks the 10th anniversary of ‘Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries; next year we will celebrate 65 years of diplomatic relations. The trade volume between Korea and Thailand reached a historic level last year, with a total of 15.5 billion dollars. Given the pandemic effects, the record clearly stands out and we expect the record to be broken again this year. In terms of tourism, in 2019, prior to Covid, Koreans accounted for the fourth largest visitors to Thailand and they are anxious for coming back soon. Moreover, Thailand is a home to around 18,000 overseas Koreans living in Thailand who have been serving as a bridge connecting our two countries and deepening the mutual understanding. It will be remiss of me if I don’t mention the Korean Wave here. We are very grateful that Korean culture, from K-pop to K-drama, is much shared and loved by Thais, amongst others. There might be many reasons for its success, yet I believe the key element, among others, is “freedom” as this indeed is the solid basis for creative activities. In May, President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in Seoul. President Yoon has emphasised many times, including in his recent speech at the UNGA, that promoting and treasuring freedom will be the guiding principle of our foreign policy. Under this vision, Korea will play its full part in maintaining peace and stability and addressing global issues by working together with all stakeholders. |
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Against this backdrop, Korea is striving to host the 2030 World EXPO in Busan, and we strongly believe it will be an excellent opportunity to present transformative solutions to the global community for a better future, and further share Korea’s development experience and innovative technologies.
Before concluding, I wish to reiterate that Korea could not have evolved into the thriving nation as it is today without the help and support from the international community. In this vein, I would like to thank you all for your friendship to us, to my beloved country, the Republic of Korea. I am confident that the strong ties between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Thailand, will continue to reach new heights. Thank you. |
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