Hon. Principal Secretary & Chief Protocol Officer, Shri Nand Kumar My colleagues of Consul Generals & Honorary Consuls,
Respected Public Officials & Entrepreneurs, My dear Koreans,
Distinguished guests, And ladies & gentlemen!
First of all, thank all of you for coming here today to celebrate Korea’s National Foundation Day.
According to Korea’s history, it was founded in 2,333 B.C. for the first time. So this year falls on 4,350th anniversary.
All the time, Korea had maintained its independence.
Unfortunately, however, it fell prey to imperialism in 1910.
After the World WarⅡ, the Cold War between the East and West resulted in the division of the Korean Peninsula.
To make matters worse, the two Koreas experienced the terrible tragedy beyond description, so-called Korean War.
65 years have quickly passed away since the end of the 3-year War.
During this period, the Republic of Korea, namely South Korea, developed a lot and fast to be the 11th largest economy in the world.
Korea also joined the 20-50 club as the 7th country in 2012.
Now is time for two Koreas to make peace & prosper together.
If you look at the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, you can come to know it is moving forward more peace and
stability than ever before. 2 weeks ago, President Moon Jae-in visited North Korea. He met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang to discuss how to make peace on the Korean Peninsula, among others, without any war. I think it was a heart-to-heart meeting. As a result, they agreed on de facto non-aggression and signed a Pyongyang Joint Declaration including those contents.
I expect days for permanent peace and prosperity to come to the Korean Peninsula. I also hope that it will make a great contribution to the peace in the North-East Asia, further in the world, including the peace between India and Pakistan.
Distinguished guests, and ladies & gentlemen!
India & Korea established their ambassadorial diplomatic relationship in 1973, relatively late. In spite of that, our two countries have been broadening & deepening their bilateral relationship very fast, based on their mutual benefits.
Above all, Economic cooperations are most outstanding. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, namely CEPA, took effect as of January 1, 2010. The revision talks are under way, and now the negotiations are almost finished. I expect India to export its mangos and beer to Korea soon.
Our trade volume last year exceeded 20B US$. Given our cooperative potential, I am sure it will be over 50B US$ by 2030 as the two leaders agreed in Joint Vision Statement this
July during the summit.
In this regard, Korean companies have increased their FDIs in India by complying with『Make In India』policy. People-to- people exchanges such as tourists, businessmen, public officials
& students are steadily on the rise.
Recently, the cooperative fields are very diversified to culture, arts, academy, sports etc. Coming October 13 to 18, the 1st Mumbai Biennale will be held with works of 200 artists from India and Korea at JJ School of Art. The 2nd Consul General Cup Taekwondo Competition will be held in Pune this month.
More than 1,500 players are expected to take part.
Following last year, Korean Idol group, Lucente, will have the 2nd K-Pop performance in Mumbai on 27th and in Pune on 28th this month. There will be Nanta performance in Mumbai in November.
Exchanges in the field of films are also very active. While film-related Indians visit Korea to join the Busan Int’l Film Festival every October, Korean actors and directors participate in the Goa Int’l Film Festival every November, in a back-to-back way.
On the other hand, more and more Yoga centers have been set up in Korea to meet the huge demands of Koreans.
I expect our cultural exchanges to be much more active in the future.
Respected guests, and ladies & gentlemen!
It is true that Korea had focused its diplomacy on the neighboring countries - US, Japan, China and Russia - for the long time. But, Moon Jae-in Government, born as a result of the Candle Revolution last year, declared its New North Policy and New South Policy to get out of existing frames and to spread its diplomatic wings.
Regarding the New South Policy, India and ASEAN are the core partners. This policy is based on 3P Plus strategy, that is, People, Prosperity, Peace + Future. This is also in line with『Act East policy』of Indian Government. So I believe our bilateral cooperation will be and can be much wider and deeper in the future. Because they have many commonalities.
Distinguished guests, and ladies & gentlemen!
Korean President, Mr. Moon Jae-in payed a state visit to India this July, 14 months after his inauguration in May last year.
This is the fastest one among Korean Presidents’visits to India. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperations in almost all sectors, including economy, social matters, culture, science & technology, defence, consular issues and so on.
I am sure his visit will serve as a good momentum to strengthen the existing『Special Strategic Partnership』between India & Korea. I can say, in that Korea regards India very important, his policy and visit have a special meaning.
Respected guests, and ladies & gentlemen!
Today, not only Indian businessmen & public officials but also Korean businessmen are participating in this Reception.
Hopefully, this occasion can be a good opportunity to discuss businesses for trade & investment, or for personal connections.
Lastly, I express my sincere gratitude to my staff and Hotel staff for their devotion for this Reception.
Once again, thanks for your presence.
Thank you (end)
