Friday, 13 Sep 2013
President Park Geun-hye attended the first working session of the G20 Summit held at Constantine Palace in St.
Petersburg on September 5. Making her debut at the G20 Summit, President Park joined the other participating leaders in discussing growth and the global economy. President Park pointed to the fact that it would be difficult for any country to achieve growth alone considering the closely intertwined global economy. She went on to em- phasize the urgent need for the G20 member countries to work together for the sake of shared growth.
Notably, President Park also commented on the escalating concerns about the financial stability of emerging
I. President Park Attends the G20 Summit
President Park Geun-hye in the first working session of the G20 Summit
II. Vietnam Welcomes President Park’s State Visit
President Park Geun-hye arrived in Vietnam on September 7 for a five-day state visit that she plans to use as the starting point for her "sales diplomacy" drive. President Park held summit talks with Vietnamese President Tru- ong Tan Sang and announced a joint statement agreed by the two countries on September 9 in Hanoi. In the statement, dubbed "joint statement of leaders for co-prosperity," the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the bilateral relationship between Korea and Vietnam which achieved remarkable development in many areas, in- cluding politics, economy, society, culture, and exchange of human resources, since the establishment of diplo- matic relations in 1992. Both leaders also agreed to speed up the ongoing free trade negotiations so that the two countries can finalize the agreement for a comprehensive level of free trade by 2014.
After holding a summit with the Vietnamese President, President Park discussed ways to substantially strengthen cooperation between the two countries with Vietnam's top government and party officials, including General Secretary of the Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and National Assem- bly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.
President Park Geun-hye and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang at the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements between the two countries
III. Vote for Emily Mwila and The Twinz to be K-Pop Stars!
Wellington singer Ms. Emily Mwila and dance duo The Twinz will find out if they have a chance to win K-Pop fame this Saturday. They are currently ranked No.7 and No. 3 respectively in an online poll to select top 15 who will compete at the finale in Changwon City, South Korea, on October 20. You can support them to represent New Zealand in the K-Pop World Festival 2013 by voting for them until September 14.
To vote go online here: http://k-popworldfestival.kbs.co.kr/siteN/main2/main_vote.php
Quiz on Korea and K-Pop World Festival with Ms. Emily Mwila, dance duo The Twinz, and others
IV. Hurry up! Last Chance to win the Video Contest
Apply until October 7, 2013 Apply until October 7, 2013 Apply until October 7, 2013
Ambassador Park headed the Korean delegation to the 25th Post-Forum Dialogue (PFD) Partners' Meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) held in Marshall Islands on September 9. Korea has been taking part in the annual PFD since 1995. Ambassador Park explained Korea’s plan for development cooperation, in particular assistance to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) in tackling Climate Change which is the most urgent and serious threat to PICs.
At the 44th PIF New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon John key and the Head of State of 14 other Pacific Islands Countries adopted the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership urging countries to set more ambitious emis-
V. Ambassador Park attends the 25th Post-Forum Dialogue
Ambassador Park & President of Marshall Islands Christopher Loeak
Korean Delegation
On 9 September, Ambassador Park gave a lecture on “Korean Peninsula: Strategic Environment &
South-North Relations” to 36 military officers and government officials from New Zealand and 9 oth- er Asia-Pacific courtiers at the New Zealand Defence Force Command and Staff College. Ambassador Park explained the strategic environment of the Korean Peninsula, current situation in Northeast Asia and Korean Government’s foreign policy and policy on North Korea including The Korean Peninsula Trust Building Process and North East Asia Peace & Cooperation Initiative. In a Q&A session, at- tendees asked about the possibility of an “Arab Spring” in North Korea, rising nationalism in Japan, US-China/Japan-China relations, and the possibility of reunification of Korea.
VI. Ambassador Park’s lecture at the NZDF Command & Staff
Ambassador Park & Commander Nigel Philpott Q&A Session
