President Roh Wraps Up
European Biz Diplomacy
- Conducts summit talks with Germany, Turkey

President Roh Moo-hyun's latest state visits to Germany and Turkey have capped a series of his business diplomacy trips to major European countries.
President Roh returned home from his 9-day state trip on April 18 on the last leg of a series of state visits during his diplomatic efforts to the European Union that he had launched with his official trips to United Kingdom, Poland and France last December.
President Roh held talks with German President Horst K?hler during his first trip to Germany since his inauguration as the president of the Republic of Korea, and discussed matters of mutual concern, including ways of expanding trade and investments into each other. The summit talks reaffirmed the German government's support to the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear standoff and Seoul's efforts to ensure peace and co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. President Roh became the sixth Korean head of state to visit Germany.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon said the trade volume between Korea and Germany is projected to grow at $20 billion soon, and Korea held a session for demonstrating Korean-made digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) technology in a bid to help German adopt the technology during the FIFA World Cup slated for 2006 in Germany.
The two leaders shared the view the two Koreas need to establish identity and brace for an urgent reunification while making strenuous efforts to ensure peace and continuous exchanges before their reunification. Speaking about the outcome of President Roh's trip to German, MOFAT Minister Ban said President Roh's talks with German Prime Minister Gehard Schroeder served as an opportunity for Korea to strengthen practical bilateral cooperation with Germany, a key country of EU President Roh's meeting with German Prime Minister Schroeder, the second encounter between them, was significant now that they have cemented their mutual personal contact, the second encounter between them, a Cheong Wa Dae official, who accompanied President Roh, said, adding that the two share many common things raging from the grown-up process to political style.
While meeting with German leaders, President Roh declared a four-point inter-Korean reunification proposal: establishing a regime on peace, strengthening inter-Korean exchanges, confederation, and reunification.
On his last day of a five-day state visit on Apr. 14, President Roh asked more German companies to invest in Korea during a roundtable meeting in Frankfurt with major German chief executives, President Roh reconfirmed Korea's commitment to free trade and more stable labor relations. "We have already signed free-trade agreements with Chile and Singapore, and been working with Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN ) members for new pacts, as well as in a preparatory process with the United States and Canada," he said. The accords were designed to prevent possible disadvantages against Korean companies in international trade, Roh noted, adding that such considerations also apply to companies investing in Korea, and signing of free-trade agreements will work in favor of foreign businesses investing in Korea as well.
Following a five-day state visit to Germany, President Roh flew to Turkey April 15 to have a summit talk with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayppip Erdogan on issues of mutual interest, such as ways to improve trade and investment relations between the two nations. President Roh's state visit to Turkey was realized in 48 years after the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1957. It also renewed the traditional amicable relationships the two countries forged after Turkey's dispatching its troops to the Korean War.
The Korean side promised to the Turkish side to send a "Buy Turkey Delegation" in the second half of the year in a bid to correct trade imbalance in favor of Korea. Korean companies, including train maker, Rotem, have established a bridgehead in Turkey, a key point for making a foray into the European Community.
President Roh observed Hyundai's car assembly line Korea's largest investment in Turkey. Roh took a ride in a Starex vehicle jointly produced by the two countries, escorted by Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo. nw