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| Belgian Ambassador to Seoul Peter Lescouhier, right, Honorary Consul General of Belgium to Korea Choi Seung-bong, left, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu join a cake-cutting ceremony during the King's Day reception at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in downtown Seoul, Nov. 15. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo |
By Yi Whan-woo
The first visit to Korea by a Belgian king in 27 years, as Belgian Ambassador to Seoul Peter Lescouhier put it, gave an "additional boost to already excellent bilateral relations."
During the King's Day celebration last week, Lescouhier said momentum in the digital era should be expanded from government and business circles to civil society.
The envoy noted that King Philippe of Belgium met various groups of people in Korea including young social entrepreneurs during his state visit in March.
The king was accompanied by his wife Queen Mathilde. An advocate for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, she met various nongovernmental organizations and students affiliated with green growth and climate change.
"The coming of the digital revolution and what it means for society and the individual will figure prominently in our bilateral contracts, not only among our government institutions and business circles but also among academics and artists as well," Lescouhier told guests during a reception at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in downtown Seoul, Nov. 15.
He speculated that bilateral cooperation would deepen in biotechnology, life science, agriculture and culture.
"The embassy will do its best to promote interaction between the civil societies of Belgium and Korea," Lescouhier added.
The reception drew other ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, business executives, scholars, artists and civic activists.
Among them were Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, who joined as guest of honor, and Marie Boes, head of the Belgian Korean Business Forum (BKBS), who gave a toast.
Yoon said the two countries would have more areas to cooperate, with two years to go before the 120th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
He referred to the 1901 treaty signed between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Korean Empire, which replaced the Joseon Kingdom briefly before being annexed by Japan in 1910.
Yoon pointed out that Belgium has much to admire, with Brussels being the capital of the European Union and Belgian products such as Godiva chocolates and Hoegaarden beer being popular worldwide.
The Kingdom of Belgium recognized the nascent Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1948, three years after the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule.
Belgium was one of 16 countries to send combat troop as part of U.N. forces in Korea.
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