President You meets Korean Mission in Taipei Representative Kang Young-hoon
Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun, accompanied by Legislators Lin Te-fu, Chen Ou-po, Secretary General Lin Jih-jia, Consultant Hung Tzu-yung, and Secretariat Director Maggie Wu, received a three-member delegation from the Korean Mission in Taipei led by Representative Kang Young-hoon this morning.
In his remarks, President You said that since Representative Kang arrived in May 2019, he has been committed to promoting exchanges between Taiwan and Korea. Both Chairmen Lin Te-fu and Chen Ou-po of the Taiwan-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group recognize his efforts to promote bilateral relations between Taiwan and Korea. He said he did not expect Representative Kang to retire at the age of 60, given that he has rich experiences and is in the prime of life. He should, he said, consider continuing to contribute to the country and to society. President You said he believe that Representative Kang will make appropriate arrangements with the government upon his return to Korea.
President You also expressed reluctance at Representative Kang’s departure. Although exchanges have been affected by COVID-19, Taiwan is grateful to Representative Kang for the remarkable contributions he has made during his two years in Taiwan. Korea is a member of the United Nations, and plays a key role as far as its strategic position as well as economically and culturally. Korea is thus a role model for Taiwan to emulate.
President You went on to say that as the international situation continues to change, Taiwan’s visibility in the international community is gradually increasing. For example, on October 21, the European Parliament passed the EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation report with 580 votes in favor and 26 votes against, and recommended that the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan be renamed the “EU Office in Taiwan.” US President Joe Biden also reaffirmed the rock-solid commitment of the United States to Taiwan at the East Asia Summit. All of this goes to show Taiwan is regarded in the international community.
President You recalled that Taiwan and Korea have had similarities in their historical trajectories, with both having experienced colonization by both Qing China and Japan. In the 1980s, the people of Taiwan, Korea, and the Philippines all took to the streets to fight the totalitarian behavior of their governments and for the rights people should enjoy in a democratic and free society. Taiwan also shared a great deal of similarity to Korea on the road to democratization.
President You then took the opportunity to present two autographed books to the delegates. One was the album for the Taiwan Parliamentary Petition Movement Centennial Exhibition published by the Legislative Yuan. As this year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Petition Movement for the Establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament, the Legislative Yuan‘s Assembly Affairs Museum has organized the Taiwan Parliamentary Petition Movement Centennial Exhibition, to be held in Taipei from November 1, allowing the public to learn more about the history of Taiwan‘s democratic development. The other volume was Breaking the Party Ban 1986, which goes over the formation of the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986. Both books underscore similarities between Taiwan and Korea in the two nations’ respective paths to democracy.
President You concluded by saying that he believes that there will be more room for cooperation between Taiwan and Korea in the future in the areas of economics, culture, and tourism. He wished Representative Kang a happy retirement and hoped that he would continue to lend support to bringing Taiwan and Korea closer.
Legislator Lin Te-fu then spoke about Representative Kang’s contributions to promoting harmonious relations between Taiwan and Korea over the past two years, and said he looked forward to welcoming him back to Taiwan after the pandemic subsides with the warmest hospitality. Legislator Chen Ou-po also said that Taiwan is a popular destination among foreign tourists and has been called the best country to move to for many years in a row. Yilan, he said, was a particularly special place, and that whoever visits is generally likes it and is reluctant to leave. He was, he said, extremely reluctant to see Representative Kang depart.
Representative Kang responded saying that when he first met his predecessor, Representative Yang Chang-soo, he was puzzled by the fact that Yang was in tears when he left Taiwan. He didn’t understand until the present moment why. Representative Kang said that after he met with President You on March 18 and expressed his hope that the Legislative Yuan would provide assistance to Korean enterprises in Taiwan, President You called him a few days later with a positive response, he found this very moving. In 2019, the number of visits made by people of each country to the other topped 2.5 million, and, he said, would definitely reach a new high once the pandemic subsides. This will allow the two sides to deepen their exchanges. He expressed hope that his successor would continue to pursue stronger relations based on the existing foundation, and that the Legislative Yuan would continue to provide assistance for parliamentary exchanges.
The two sides then exchanged views on promoting exchanges between Taiwan and Korea, shortening the isolation period for Korean businesspeople visiting Taiwan, and about Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain. The two sides met for about 50 minutes, ending the meeting after exchanging souvenirs and taking a group photo. This was followed by a luncheon.
