Opening Remarks
by H.E. Mr. Cho Tae-yul,
Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea,
at the Fourth Meeting of the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance

March 6, 2014, Shilla Hotel



Minister Jensen, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you today at the fourth meeting of the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance.

Spring is near in Korea, one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. And I am delighted to welcome Minister Jensen and his delegation to Seoul in this wonderful time.

Since the launch of the Green Growth Alliance in 2011, Korea and Denmark have been closely working together in various areas, ranging from energy, shipping to the maritime industry.

It is worth noting that this meeting is taking place only five months after the previous meeting was held in Copenhagen last October. I believe this attests to the rapidly growing partnership between our two countries.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to commend all those who have worked so hard to make our alliance in green growth much stronger and more mature.

Distinguished Guests,

The main theme of this year’s meeting is "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy".

It might not be too much to say that the fate of human civilization largely depends on how effectively to make use of energy. The discovery of diverse sources of energy and the development of technology have paved the way for the rapid growth of the global economy, while promoting social progress.

However, the depletion of resources, environmental degradation and climate change all stemming from high fossil fuel consumption are now threatening the very existence of humanity. In order for the development of our civilization to be sustainable, it is indeed an urgent task to secure clean and safe energy.

In this regard, we have much to learn from Denmark, a leading country in the area of green energy.

Distinguished Guests,

Denmark has more than 100 years of experience in developing renewable energy, since the Danish scientist Poul La Cour first produced electricity using windmills in 1891.

Denmark also possesses state-of-the-art technology and experiences not only in developing renewable energy such as wind power and solar cells, but also in energy efficiency, especially reducing energy consumption of buildings.

In particular, Denmark’s vision for becoming entirely independent from fossil fuels by 2050 offers a beacon of hope for the international community that has been struggling with an energy crisis.

The Republic of Korea, for its part, is also focusing its efforts to enhance energy efficiency and expand renewable energy for sustainable development of its economy. Such efforts lie at the core of the creative economy that Korea is pursuing as a new paradigm of economic growth.

The Second Energy Master Plan of Korea places a high priority on enhancing the efficiency of energy production and distribution, fully taking into consideration the economic, social and environmental implications.

The investment of Korean companies in the area of green growth is also rapidly on the rise. And I hope that today’s meeting will provide a new momentum for even closer cooperation not only between our two governments but also between the business communities on both sides.

I have no doubt that the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance will serve as a good model to follow in international efforts to promote green growth across the globe.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), which is headquartered in Korea, and the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) led by Denmark, have become the hallmarks of our cooperation to this end.

I hope our two countries will continue to work together to further deepen and broaden the values and benefits of green growth and disseminate them around the world.

I look forward to constructive and creative discussions on this very important topic at this meeting today.

Thank you. /End/