By Yi Whan-woo
France and Germany went worldwide in their campaign to affirm friendship, after French President Charles de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the Elysee Treaty on Jan. 22, 1963 to end centuries of antagonism following the Second World War.
In Seoul, the chambers of commerce of the two European powers co-hosted a reception, Jan, 22, to celebrate the 56th anniversary of that treaty signed at the Elysse Palace in Paris. Invited guests included French Ambassador to Korea Fabien Penone and German Ambassador to Korea Stephan Auer, who also took part in anniversary events together throughout the day.
The events were an expansion of those that took place in France and Germany. Among them were German-French Day declared by French President Jacques Chirac and German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroder on Jan. 22, 2003, and the signing of a follow-up pact to the 1963 treaty between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week.
“After two wars, France and Germany were able to reestablish trust, friendship and cooperation between them. Thanks to those ties, they have become the pillars of a larger union, the European one,” French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) Chairman David-Pierre Jalicon said during the anniversary reception at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul in Gangmam-gu.
Jalicon said the French and German business communities, through their joint celebration, are “sending a positive message of hope and a reminder of their commitments to the prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the whole region.”
Korean-German Chamber of Commerce in Korea (KGCCI) Chairman Kim Hyo-joon called the treaty a “historic milestone” in the era of globalization and that it laid the groundwork for the nations sharing a common responsibility to cooperate while striving for prosperity and peace.
“We hope that the business endeavors of the German and French companies in Korea will result in a joint commitment for a lasting contribution to the Korean economy and society as well,” Kim said.
The members of the FKCCI and KGCCI discussed their business activities in Korea, including plans for this year.
Before coming to the reception, Ambassador Penone and Ambassador Auer visited academic institutions from their respective countries here — the Deutsche Schule Seoul International and Lycee Frandais de Seoul.
They discussed the history of cooperation between the two counties and key issues faced by European Union with the students.
The discussions involved invited students from Lycee International Xavier, a French combined primary and secondary school.
The two ambassadors and their staff had a meeting later at the French embassy to discuss a joint work plan for this year.