외교부

50 Years of Diplomatic Relations: 
The Republic of Korea, the Netherlands and the EU

Seminar Jointly Organized
by Embassy of Korea
in the Netherlands & Clingendael Institute

Opening remarks
Lee Joon-gye Lee, Chancellor of IFANS

Professor Jan Melissen,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I am very delighted to deliver the opening remarks at this seminar entitled, “50 Years of Diplomatic Relations: The Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, and the EU.” And I would especially like to thank Professor Jan Melissen, Director of the Clingendael Diplomatic Studies Programme of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, and those who organized this seminar, for your warm and gracious hospitality.

The Netherlands is familiar to many Koreans not only for its landmarks such as windmills, tulips, canals, and bicycles, but also as our friend    who have helped us during the Korean War.   Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, South Korea and the Netherlands maintained friendly relations grounded in our shared experiences from the Korean War. And Korea and the Netherlands have remained good friends and we are continuing our efforts to broaden and deepen our cooperation. We’ve been continuing to work closely together in various fields including political, economic, culture and sports.

Our economic ties are especially strong. Our two-way trade has reached $ 9.5 billion in 2010. The Netherlands is also the third-largest foreign direct investor for South Korea after the United States and Japan. For this reason, the Netherlands is certainly one of Korea’s main trading partners. Furthermore, as middle powers with distinct foreign policy ambitions, both Korea and the Netherlands have great potential to play key roles in the international sphere.

This year marks the 50 year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Netherlands, and our relationship is deepening and becoming even more consequential. We seek to increase engagement on issues as diverse as politics, business and trade, culture, and education. And we hope to build a stronger foundation for cooperation, especially through promoting cultural, educational, people-to-people exchanges.

So, it is becoming more are more crucial that we understand each other’s foreign policy and strategies. And I am confident that today’s seminar will be critical to our way forward, offering a chance to share our experiences and values regarding foreign policy, raising mutual awareness.

As you know, South Korea and the EU FTA came into force. The EU-Korea FTA is expected to increase trade and investment, and help strengthen our strategic partnership formed last October. Furthermore, the FTA will help improve the South Korean economy's transparency and credibility, while contributing to the country’s sustainability with increased productivity. 

I believe that today’s discussion on topics such as ‘Korea’s foreign policy towards EU,’ ‘EU’s East Asia policy,’ and ‘public diplomacy,’ will set a milestone in improving Korea-Dutch relations and Korea-EU relations. I’m looking forward to hear your valuable opinions on ways to improve Korea-Dutch relations and strengthen our cooperation.

I hope that through this seminar we will be able to expand the areas of mutual interest where we can cooperate. And I am confident that the seminar today will help us to continue strengthening our future-oriented partnership and building on the successes we have achieved.

Before I finish, I would like to, once again, thank everyone who came today, from the Clingendael Institute, from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and from the Korean Embassy in the Netherlands, for attending this seminar during your busy schedule.

Thank you.