Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
INTERVIEW Danish royal visit focuses on business, cultural relations
Danish Ambassador to Korea Thomas Lehmann speaks with The Korea Times at his embassy in Seoul, May 14. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Yi Whan-woo
Sustainability, healthcare, food, lifestyle are keys for bilateral cooperation
By Yi Whan-woo
Around 9:30 a.m. on a weekday, Danish Ambassador to Korea Thomas Lehmann is on the phone and busy at his office in Seoul.
Meanwhile, some of his staff are not present. They come to work after 10 a.m., which is late according to the standard working hours of many Korean companies.
But they do not seem worried about being late. Nor does Ambassador Lehmann.
Everyone just carries on with their respective daily schedules under Denmark’s flexible working hour system and flat management structure.
This working system is also part of the Danish lifestyle which — along with sustainability, healthcare and food — the Scandinavian country wants to promote during the official visit of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
“It’s a very significant visit, through which we can focus on creating stronger connections, stronger partnerships within governments, within businesses and within culture,” Lehmann told The Korea Times last week at the Royal Danish Embassy in Korea at Seoul Square.
“This visit will also underline both countries’ desire to elevate our partnership to a new level.”
Under the slogan “Connecting Futures,” Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are visiting Korea from May 20 to 22 to mark the 60th anniversary of Denmark-Korea diplomatic relations.
This is the royal couple’s first visit to Seoul since 2012.
The Royal Danish Embassy in Korea, The Trade Council in Korea, Confederation of Danish Industry and Danish Agriculture and Food Council have jointly organized this year’s visit.
The royal couple is accompanied by a business delegation that will seek to enhance cooperation, exchanges and exports in the three pillars of Danish industry — sustainability, healthcare plus food and lifestyle.
The delegation includes representatives from more than 40 enterprises and institutions, including Maersk, DNV GL, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Orsted, GN Hearing, H. Lundbeck, Leo Pharma, Oticon, Carlsberg Group, Danish Crown, Food Nation, Royal Greenland, Carl Hansen and Son, Lego, Royal Copenhagen and Steinway Lyngdorf.
The Crown Princess is also patron of the Year of Culture 2019 aimed at strengthening long-term cooperation and exchange in the culture sector between the two countries. Korean ballet star Kang Sue-jin is patron for the Korean side.
On May 20, the royal couple met President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. The couple also visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The DMZ tour in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, included unveiling an art installation titled “One Two Three Swing!”
Installed at Dora Observatory at the top of Mount Dora, the installation is a large orange swing made of metal.
Danish artist group Superflex created the installation for audiences to experience the movement and the power of collective human actions.
The installation was exhibited previously in London and Copenhagen. The Paju exhibition will run until May 20, 2021, with the support of art project group Real DMZ, the Royal Danish Embassy in Korea, New Carlsberg Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Paju city government.
The May 21 program will mainly comprise a series of business meetings for Danish and Korean businesspeople to interact, network, discuss and create opportunities.
On May 22, the delegation will visit Korea’s tallest skyscraper Lotte World Tower, as well as Seoul National University Hospital and KAIST College of Business, all of which are in Seoul.
The KAIST visit will involve top Danish university students as part of efforts to foster startups and nurture entrepreneurship.
The delegation will also visit an exhibition about Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) at Seoul Museum of History and the opening of a solo exhibition of Danish social activist Asger Jorn (1914-73) at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
“It’s a diversified program that I think encompasses everything that Denmark and Korea want to achieve together,” Ambassador Lehmann said.
Quoting a proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together,” the envoy said this could apply to Denmark-Korea ties.
“We’re going far and we’re going together. And with this, I think we can create great results,” he said.
The countries signed a diplomatic treaty in 1959, but bilateral ties date back to the 1950-53 Korean War when Denmark extended a helping hand in the form of the Jutlandia hospital ship.
Along with the Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH) and Sweden’s Red Cross hospital, the Danish contribution inspired the establishment of the National Medical Center in 1958.
Referring to both countries’ aging populations, Lehmann said the countries collaborate a lot on healthcare.
He also said, “It’s very much about the future generation. And we want to come up with innovative solutions through joint research and development.”
The envoy said renewable energy was another area to enhance bilateral cooperation, pointing out that Denmark and Korea have been involved in the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). With headquarters in Seoul, the institute was established in 2010 to promote sustainable economic growth worldwide.
“We work together in a green growth alliance that has served us very well for the past many years,” he said.
He pointed out Korea, after relying on coal and nuclear energy, has been trying to increase the amount of renewable power in the country’s energy mix from 6 percent to 20 percent by 2030 and to 35 percent by 2040.
Korea has also been struggling to tackle air pollution, after record levels of fine dust blanketed most of the country recently.
President Moon is believed to be inspired by Denmark’s competence in renewable energy when he visited Copenhagen last October.
“In Denmark, we have a very long track record for transforming our energy from fossil fuel to renewable energy, especially wind,” Lehmann said. “And this is what we want to build on with this royal visit.”
Citing the case of Denmark, he speculated that renewable energy could become a new growth engine for Korea and help to create jobs.
He also said Jeju Island, Ulsan and Saemangeum had “very good conditions” for offshore wind and that his country had been “working very closely” with respective municipalities.
He assessed Korea’s solar energy technologies as “the best in the world” and that it would be “a win-win” for both countries if they expanded cooperation accordingly.
Backed by a universal welfare system, Denmark like its Scandinavian neighbors is noted for its high quality of life.
Lehmann said such a lifestyle is in the Nordic DNA and that the work-life balance and flat management structure are part of this.
Under the system, Danish embassy staff can flexibly adjust their work schedules as long as they observe fixed hours in the middle of the day and work responsibly.
“Depending on your work schedule and what you have on your desk, it’s flexible for staff to work around that,” the envoy said. “I think it creates more freedom, more satisfaction and a better work-life balance for our staff.”
The Danish delegation includes acclaimed chefs who will showcase the country’s gastronomy characterized with seasonal and organic ingredients.
For instance, a Danish open sandwich is made of fresh rye bread on which one can put all kinds of toppings, including fish, meat, vegetables, cheese, spreads and garnishes produced without additives and fertilizers.
“A very big part of our food production is organic,” Lehmann said. “And all people of the world including in Korea, associate high-quality and healthy food with Denmark,” he said.
The envoy said he was happy to see Denmark is in the final stage of meeting health requirements to export its beef to Korea, on top of pork that was on sale here.
To bolster tourism and raise awareness of each other’s culture, Lehmann called for a direct route to be opened between Denmark and Korea.
Copenhagen Airport, according to the envoy, is the largest in Northern Europe, but does not have direct flights with Incheon International Airport.