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| New British Ambassador to South Korea Simon Smith speaks during a press conference at the embassy in Seoul, March 21. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
Great Britain is ready to offer its expertise on nuclear security including nuclear nonproliferation and power generation to help with the denuclearization of North Korea, Britain's new ambassador to South Korea Simon Smith said.
In his first meeting with the South Korean press on March 21 as ambassador, Smith also said he respects Seoul's efforts to improve cross-border relations, including the planned summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"As a permanent member of the UNSC we play a constructive part in global and regional security," he said at the embassy.
"Our role in South Korea has many parts: we will do all we can to help deal with the issues with DPRK, including denuclearization of DPRK.
"We are extremely admiring the efforts that the administration of the Republic of Korea has made to take the opportunity presented by the holding of the PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Games and to build on this in a way that set up the summits."
He referred to the similar populations of the U.K. and South Korea and said he expects to "develop our bilateral security relations" and that he "sees a great deal of opportunities with South Korea."
He said he will concentrate on bolstering business and defense cooperation between Seoul and London during his three-year term as well as facilitating exchanges between the two sides.
He underscored that such efforts will be especially critical as Britain will depart from the European Union
"Especially after Britain leaves the European Union, we will need to put particular efforts into building further on our international economic links and on our trade and investment relationships," he said.
Before being appointed as the ambassador to Seoul, Smith served as head of the British foreign office's Northeast Asia and Pacific department and as the British governor for the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Smith, who studied Korean language for six months last year, said he hopes to improve his Korean skills and travel to every corner of the country.
"I received from this professor (of Korean literature) a long list of recommended Korean literature of the 20th century. So one of my objectives is to improve my Korean language to the point that I could work through this list and go back to the professor that 'I have taken your advice.'"
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