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벨기에 왕세자 환영만찬사<영문>

  • 작성자 : 김진옥
  • 등록일 : 2009.05.14
  • 조회수 : 2806
Your Royal Highness Prince Philippe,
Distinguished members of the Belgian delegation,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor and privilege to have with us here this evening Your Royal Highness Prince Philippe. On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Korea, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to Your Highness and the distinguished members of the Belgian delegation.

Our meeting this morning was very productive and fruitful, demonstrating the close cooperative relationship between our two countries. Indeed, based on our mutual interests and sense of bond, the friendship between Belgium and Korea has developed significantly over the past century.

Your Highness,

It is my understanding that this is your third visit to Korea following your first in 1993, and your second as the head of the Belgian Economic Mission.

Considering the importance of high-level exchanges in promoting bilateral relations, I would like to thank you for the special affinity you have shown towards Korea.

Personally I have two very fond memories of my association with Belgium. When the Commission of the European Economic Communities chose to award the 6th European Economic Communities Prize on my doctoral thesis, "The Growth and Function of the European Budget," I had the great pleasure of visiting Brussels in February 1971 to receive the Prize. My wife accompanied me there and it was our honeymoon as well.

During the period of writing my thesis in the mid-60s, I visited Brussels several times. It was a very uncertain and unsettling time in Brussels then with the situations in Congo deteriorating day by day. But I always enjoyed visiting Brussels, so different from the English city where I studied.

Secondly, about this time in Seoul in 1989 when I was Korea's Minister of Trade and Industry, I had the great honor of receiving Belgium's Grand-crois de L'ordre de la Couronne. H.R.H Crown Prince Albert, now H.M the King was most gracious in coming to Korea and then personally awarded me that honor. I even now most treasure the Belgian honor.

Your Highness,

The people of Korea particularly remember and deeply appreciate Belgium's help in sending an investment mission to our country at the outbreak of the financial crisis in 1997.

Based on such a strong foundation, I am certain that this visit by Your Highness and the Belgian Economic Mission will contribute to further deepening the time-honored friendship between our countries and provide yet another momentum in enhancing and expanding the horizons of cooperation of our two countries in various areas including trade, investment, technology, culture and environment.

In the field of economic relations, I would like to point out that there is still considerable room for growth in our bilateral trade and investment.

In this regard, I believe increased cooperation between the private sectors of our countries will bring about promising results eventually turning the current economic crisis into opportunities for further development. In all these efforts I look forward to working closely with the Belgian government, both on bilateral and multilateral levels, to bring about creative solutions that will revitalize our economies and restore economic growth.

I am also much pleased to hear that on the occasion of Your Highness' visit, the Ports of Zeebrugge(지브뤼헤) and Antwerp will be concluding a Memorandum of Understanding on Port Cooperation with the Pyongtaek and Incheon Ports respectively.

Speaking of Antwerp, I am reminded of the novel "A Dog of Flanders," which is set in the small village of Hoboken in Antwerp. I do not know how well this story is known in Belgium, but it is quite popular among Koreans, as are the works of many Belgian artists such as Brueghel, Rubens, and van Dyck.

Your Highness,

In the area of cultural cooperation, I am pleased to note that the Korea Festival held in Brussels from October last year to February this year was a great success. The city of Brussels is the center of the European Union and the capital of Europe, and this setting worked its wonders in the promotion of Korean culture not only in Belgium but in the whole of Europe. It was especially encouraging to hear that the 'Smile of Buddha' exposition attracted more than 60,000 visitors.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Belgian government and the Center of Bozar, and also to Your Highness and Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde for kindly visiting the exposition.

Building on this successful experience, I sincerely hope that, Korea and Belgium will continue to make efforts in promoting bilateral cultural exchanges. In this regard, I believe the "Korean Screens - Four Solo Dances," a Korea-Belgium Dance Project to be held at the Arko Arts Center tomorrow, will serve as another great example of bilateral cultural cooperation.

Your Highness,

Despite the great geographic distance between our countries, Korea and Belgium share many common values such as democracy, human rights, and a free market system. We also share a common historical experience of overcoming foreign aggression and, in that process, preserving our unique tradition, identity, language, and integrity.

Belgium was a leader in the European integration process, contributing many innovative and constructive ideas for bringing Europe together.

Korea also has a vision of creating a community of peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and we hope to learn from the Belgian experience and wisdom in our efforts.

Your Highness,

Korea is a country with four distinct seasons. Your visit in 1993 was in October, during the autumn season of "high sky and plump horses" as we say here. Your second visit was in winter, our coldest season of the year.

This time, you have chosen to visit us in spring, probably the best season to be in our country. Unfortunately the global is affecting our spring also. However, I hope you will fully enjoy the warmth of this spring along with the culture and unique marvels of our country during your stay.

I sincerely hope that it won't take your Highness another 6 years before your return to Korea next time in Summer, the only season you missed in Korea.

Once again, I welcome Your Highness to Korea, and sincerely hope that you and your delegation will reap fruitful results from this visit and take home with you many pleasant memories.

As I bring my remarks to a close, I would like to propose a toast to H.M the King Albert and President Lee Myung-bak, to the flourishing relations between Korea and Belgium, and to the health and happiness of all of us here tonight.

À votre santé! Cheers !