외교부

Transcript: Ambassador SONG Keun Ho’s Interview with

Al-Rai Newspaper

Published on Monday, March 19, 2007 (page 17)

Interview by Jenan Hussain

The President of the Republic of Korea, Ro Moo-hyun will pay a State Visit to Kuwait from 26-27 March, 2007. Both sides attach great importance to this visit because it comes in response to the then Prime Minister and current Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed’s historical visit to Korea two years ago as part of his Asian tour which also included China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and others. On this occasion, Al-Rai newspaper interviewed Korean Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. SONG Keun Ho who highlighted the importance of the visit and the Summit Meeting between the two leaders in Kuwait. Ambassador SONG underscored the two countries’ keenness to increase their bilateral cooperation, noting the Korean President’s visit will serve as a catalyst to boost bilateral ties between both sides.

Following is the transcript of the interview:

Reporter: What about the upcoming visit to Kuwait by President Roh Moo-hyun?

Amb. SONG:  This is the president's first State Visit to Kuwait which is in response to an invitation from HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. President Roh will hold a Summit Meeting with HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed during the State Visit to consolidate bilateral ties in different fields between the two countries and to further expand their cooperation in the areas of science, information technology, health, education, sport and culture. We can cooperate and share information and expertise in all aspects of the development process.

Reporter: Will the two countries sign any agreements during the visit of President Roh Mo-Hyun’s to Kuwait? 

Amb. SONG:  There is a possibility that both countries sign a number of agreements and MOUs during the visit. As I mentioned earlier, the two sides will hold talks and discussions between the top leadership of both countries. I think that both countries are ready to deepen their cooperation, especially considering the fact that Kuwait is taking important steps to become a commercial center in the Gulf region.  Korea also is taking major steps to become a commercial center in Northeast Asia, and this requires both sides to share their experiences in this regard. There is a good opportunity for forming a strategic partnership between the two countries in the 21st century.

Reporter: Who will accompany the president during the visit?

Amb. SONG:  A high-level delegation will accompany President Roh Moo-Hyun during the visit including Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Minister of Information and Communication and a delegation from Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He will be also accompanied by businessmen who would meet their Kuwaiti counterparts. The visit constitutes a good chance to know the opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries, especially that during the visit a meeting will be held between members of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and their Kuwaiti counterparts at the headquarters of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Korean President will also inspect the Korean troops in Kuwait to raise their spirits higher.

Reporter: As the Korean President Roh Moo-hyun worked

in the field of human rights, what about democracy, freedom

and human rights in Korea?

Amb. SONG: President Roh Moo-hyun worked as human rights lawyer in Busan City and his nickname was Attorney Roh. After passing the Bar examination in 1975, he became a district court judge in the city of Daejon in 1977. In 1978, he opened his own law office and gained good reputation in the field of human rights in 1981 after defending a student who was arrested on trumped-up charges of anti-state activities. Since then, he became a human rights lawyer defending pro-democracy and labor rights activists. President Roh Moo-hyun was one of the leaders of the June 1987 Democratization Movement and he entered politics in 1988 leading the nation’s political reforms with a strong commitment to principles and integrity. He was elected to the 13^th and 15^th National Assembly and served as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. He also served as Vice President of the National Congress for New Politics and as senior member of the Millennium Democratic Party. He experienced considerable challenges throughout his political career, having suffered defeat in four different general and mayoral elections. These repeated setbacks did not, however, deter him in his quest to reshape politics. He was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Millennium Democratic Party in 2002 through a national primary election system, which was the first of its kind in Korea. In 2002, he was elected president in the 16^th presidential election.

Kuwait Democracy

I would like to refer here to Kuwait as a democratic country since it has an elected parliament and last year Kuwaiti women gained their suffrage, this is why Kuwait is considered a pioneer country in democracy in the area, and this is why also there is a similarity between the two countries. In my opinion, Korea is an example of how to realize development based on democracy in a standard time.

Reporter: We are asking you to highlight your country’s

development achievements, what is the strategy of your

 government in doing so?

Amb. SONG: The philosophy of President Roh Moo-hyun in ruling is based on realizing important goals of the society like pursuit of innovations in the science and technology sector, reforms in market mechanism, reforms and renovations in the cultural sector by encouraging decency in the cultural sector, make Korea a business hub of Northeast Asia and realize decentralization of power. President Roh works on motivating the society towards a dynamic and compassionate society, a sound and decent culture and safe society with a vision. The President adhered to adopting special systems while in power as uphold and pursue of principles and reliability, dialogue and compromise, transparency and fairness, devolution and autonomy and balance and integration. The President believes that judgment and insight should be based on knowledge and wisdom, courage and decisiveness to carry them out. President Roh Moo-hyun is working hardly to terminate centuries of “history on the periphery” that have been the source of incessant division of national consensus and conflict for the Korean people. This will be performed by developing a new history and future through playing a pioneer role in charting a new order in Northeast Asia and actively participating in shaping the regional order.

Reporter: What is the government offering to the Korean people for realizing the highest level of living standards and well-being?

Amb. SONG: The government focuses on the educational field since we had passed through the period of war, during which the nation suffered from poverty and harsh living conditions. However, it worked tirelessly to better themselves by studying during the daytime and working at night. Meanwhile, the nation was supported by both the government and Korean families which were urging their children to study and learn. I have noticed that Koreans and Kuwaitis share the same interest because Kuwaitis are very keen on educating their children because education is the first step towards progress and development and achieving great advancements and accomplishments. Koreans in their nature are very clever, skillful and innovative. They have big passion for techniques especially in the internet and they are ranked first in the world in using the internet.

Reporter: Since President Roh Moo-hyun enjoys a great popularity among his nation, how do Korean people feel about him?

Amb. SONG: The President treats people from all walks of the society fairly and humanely and seeks to achieve his political endeavors which all are in the best interest of the Korean people. His and his wife’s initiative to donate their organs after death is considered a unique step and was highly welcomed and appreciated by the Korean people. President Roh pays great attention to young generation and is famous for giving advice to them to look to the world with loving eyes and it will become more beautiful. His wife, Kwan Yang-suk has also interests in issues relating to women, children and youth. It is to be mentioned that she will accompany President Roh during his visit to Kuwait and will meet with a number of prominent Kuwaiti women in the society. She is also scheduled to meet, in her capacity as honorary president of International Vaccination Institute which its headquarters is located in Seoul, with Dr. Alia Al-Moussa, a goodwill ambassador at the same institute, in addition to Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi, board member of the international vaccination institute.

Reporter: In your opinion, how can the world peace be achieved?

Amb. SONG: I sincerely hope that sustainable peace will be achieved in the world. In my opinion, peace can be achieved by applying a very simple rule which is recognizing and respecting rights of others, and the same rule doesn’t apply only to countries but also to families.

What is your estimate of the bilateral relations and joint cooperation between the two countries? 

Amb. SONG: Our diplomatic relations date back to 1979. Since then, ties between the two countries developed considerably especially in the economic field as Korea is considered the second largest crude oil importer from Kuwait. Korea considers Kuwait a very important oil market and without oil we cannot develop our economy. This shows that there is mutual cooperation between both sides. In addition, many Korean companies have been working in Kuwait for a long period of time in the construction field and during the Gulf war, Korea supported the liberation of Kuwait by sending a medical unit as well as an airlift unit to participate in the liberation war. I can say that Korea enjoys good and distinctive relations with Kuwait and both sides can work to form a strategic partnership between them.

Reporter:  What about Korean Community in Kuwait?

Amb. SONG: An estimated 1,000 Koreans are staying in Kuwait at the present time. Nearly 150 of them lived in Kuwait for decades and consider themselves Kuwaitis because they got accustomed to the Kuwaiti society, laws, customs and traditions. A big number of Korean community members in Kuwait work in the engineering, construction, management and technical fields. Koreans living in Kuwait are completely peaceful and love Kuwait so much.