KOREA-NEW ZEALAND YEAR OF FRIENDSHIP 2012 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary
of the Diplomatic Relationship
KOREAN EMBASSY NEWSLETTER
Address: 11th Floor, ASB Bank Tower, 2 Hunter Street, Wellington 6011, NZ , Tel: 04-473-9073, Fax: 04-472-3865 E-mail: researcher@koreanembassy.org.nz, Website: www.koreanembassy.org.nz, Facebook: www.facebook.com/nzkoreanembassy
3 December 2012
[Photos]: Clockwise
(1) King George Tupou VI of the Kingdom of Tonga
(2) Ambassador Park with Prime Minister Siale’ataonga Tu’ivakano (3) A government vehicle of Tonga was donated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
(4) Ambassador Park meets Samiu Vaipulu Minister for Infrastructure (5) A broadcast antenna was sponsored by the Communication Development Fund of the Korea Communications Commission
AMBASSADOR PARK PRESENTS CREDENTIALS IN THE KINGDOM OF TONGA
On 20th November, Ambassador Mr Yongkyu Park presented his credentials to His Majesty King George Tupou VI at the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Tonga in Nukualofa.
After the ceremony, Ambassador Park also met Prime Minister Siale'ataonga Tu'ivakano and other senior officials of Tonga. They exchanged views to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and expand cooperation in various fields, including diplomatic cooperation in the United Nations. Korea has also provided ODA for economic and social development of Tonga.
Korea established its diplomatic relationship with Tonga in September 1970, and 27 Koreans are living in Tonga.
SEOUL WELCOMES DECISION ON GDF SECRETARIAT’S LOCATION IN KOREA
Celebrating the ‘Korea-New Zealand Year of Friendship 2012’, the New Zealand Asia Institute, in cooperation with the Korean Embassy, held an academic conference focused on Korea at the Auckland University from 16th to 17th November.
Under the title “New Zealand, Korea and Asia-Pacific: From distance to closeness”, the Conference was participated by more than 20 speakers from New Zealand, Korea, Australia and the U.S. They discussed various topics about Korea, including bilateral relations between Korea and New Zealand, Korean communities in New Zealand, Korean Government’s foreign and economic policies, North Korea issues, Asia-Pacific’s regional issues and the Korean cultural wave.
With more than 80 people in the audience, Ambassador Mr Yongkyu Park and Ambassador Andrea Smith gave keynote speeches on the first day of the Conference. Ambassador Park stressed that the two countries’
partnership is important in the Asia-Pacific Era of the 21st century. He also mentioned that the two countries need to make join efforts to further promote people to people links and cultural exchanges.
Ambassador and Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) Ms Andrea Smith reconfimed the strong bilateral relationship. She mentioned that New Zealand holds a strong shared desire for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and wished that the bilateral relations will be further expanded to new areas such as green growth, science, technology and Antarctic research. She also expressed strong wishes that bilateral FTA talks will reach a conclusion soon.
KOREA-NEW ZEALAND YEAR OF FRIENDSHIP CONFERENCE HELD IN AUCKLAND
[Photo): From left to right
(1) Ambassador Park with the speakers of the Korea Conference held in Auckland on 16th and 17th November
(2) & (3) Two keynote speakers; Ambassador Yongkyu Park and Ambassador Andrea Smith on the first day of the programme
2
On 21st November, two Korean navy ships Chung Mu Gong Yi Sun Shin and Dae Cheong visited Auckland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Korea and New Zealand. Led by Commander Admiral Park Moon Young and two captains, 636 sailors including navy cadets of the Cruise Training Task Group were on board. A welcome ceremony was held, followed by the cadets’ visit to the Royal New Zealand Navy and a local veterans’ hospital. They also paid tribute to the New Zealand soldiers died during the Korean War at the Korean War Memorial Monument in Auckland. The welcome reception was attended by more than 400 people including Ambassador Mr Yongkyu Park, Hon Jonathan Coleman Minister of Defence, Ms Melissa Lee MP, Mr Jim Newman President of the New Zealand Korean War Veterans’ Association (NZKVA), Mr Il Ho Park Consul-General and Korean community members.
TWO KOREAN NAVY SHIPS VISIT AUCKAND
3
[Photos]: Clockwise - (1) Korean navy ships arrived at the Auckland Port, (2) Ambassador Park with Hon Jonathan Coleman Minister of Defence, Ms Melissa Lee MP and Korean defence officers, (3) Ambassador with Captain Seung Hee Song, (4) Korean navy cadets
