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세계대학총장포럼 만찬사<영문>

  • 작성자 : 김진옥
  • 등록일 : 2008.09.17
  • 조회수 : 2884
President Suh Nam-pyo,
Presidents of the world's leading research universities,
Distinguished guest,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank President Suh Nam-pyo for his kind invitation to speak to you tonight. I also wish to extend my warmest congratulations to you on the successful outcomes of today's meeting.

I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to those who rendered generous support, academically and financially, for launching this important meeting.

I am very pleased that today's 1st International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities is being held here in Seoul at the initiative of the KAIST, one of Korea's proudest and most renowned universities especially in the field of science and technology.

Personally, I am very pleased to be here to meet with distinguished participants from the academic world. I feel very much at home to be with you tonight since I had taught economics at Seoul National University for 18 years before I joined public service twenty years ago. Whether at the university or in public service, globalization of university education has always been close to my heart.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today's rapidly globalizing world calls for us to take actions to adapt ourselves to changes that globalization brings into every respect of our modern lives. Universities are also facing the same challenge.

Against this backdrop, universities needed to go global and building global university network across the world has become the most urgent and critical task for the universities and beneficiaries of their research and education.

In dealing with this critical issue, I am confident that today's Forum has provided a very timely and unparalleled opportunity for all of you to discuss how research universities should collaborate in order to explore potential areas of cooperation and to upgrade the already existing ties.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The role of universities has been critical to the progress of mankind. Universities have played various and pivotal roles in advancing the world civilization, realizing universal values, and promoting science and technology.

Throughout the history of mankind, many fruits of human endeavours have been harvested in the university labs and classrooms.

Universities in Korea were no exception. Although the history of Korea's university education goes back to the late 14th century, it was since the founding of the Republic of Korea 60 years ago that university education became easily accessible and the universities began to play an important role in transforming every aspect of then young republic.

Six decades ago, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world with its per-capita income less than 100 US dollars.

Today Korea is the 13th largest economy in the world with per-capita income of 20,000 US dollars. Highly educated workforce in technology and science enabled Korea to play a leading and predominant role in the world in such sectors as automobile, semiconductor chips, mobile phones, shipbuilding, steel, petrochemical products, electronics and heavy machinery, to name just a few.

As you may have already experienced while in Korea, Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world. Korea's information and communications industry boasts the most advanced technology and most qualified workforce in that field.

Korea is also a flourishing full-fledged democracy fully protecting human rights. Korea has set a rare example by achieving both economic growth and political democratization during a rather short period of time.

We are immensely proud of what we have achieved at home. At the same time, the Korean people have always been grateful for invaluable assistance extended from the international community throughout our nation's long journey from once war-ravaged country to the today's prosperous and dynamic Korea.

Now is the time for us to repay the favor of nations that helped us over the years and become more active in tackling global issues such as promoting world peace, eradicating global poverty and combating climate change.

The Korean government will actively participate in international efforts to expand global network of cooperation in various areas. This is the starting point for a Global Korea, one of the top 5 national agendas of the Lee Myung-bak administration.

I am confident that distinguished participants present here tonight will render unsparing support for Korea's efforts to contribute to making our common future a better one.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is the education zeal of the Korean people that contributed to lifting my country from the depth of poverty to the front row of the world's most vibrant economies. Even when we trod the thorny path of modernization, the Korean people have never forgotten our long tradition of valuing education.

Enthusiasm for education made Korean parents reserve no effort to provide better education for their children, even though they sometimes had to endure hardships and even sacrifice themselves.

Surely, education was the soil in which potentials of those children, who grew up to be today's leaders, could blossom to the fullest. Leadership cultivated through education has also been crucial in overcoming challenges and crises, which sometimes seemed impossible for us handle, and in eventually making remarkable achievements.

The young talents who are now being educated at your universities will be in our shoes, a generation later. Weighty, sometimes, very tough decisions will be made in their hands. In this regard, importance of your role in nurturing global leaders of future generation cannot be overemphasized.

Believing that many useful suggestions and insightful ideas presented at today's Forum will enlighten our common future, I wish you all the success in your future endeavors upon which, I believe, the future of us and our offsprings so critically depends.

Before closing, I would like to say how pleased the Korean government is to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Neil Pappalardo, Chairman of Meditech to the advancement of the KAIST.

Thank you for your attention.