Martin Uden

A weekend expedition to old UK naval graves

One of the few places in Korea I’ve always wanted to get to, but somehow never managed to was what is often called Port Hamilton, but more properly known as Geomundo.  (For some background, the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komundo is a fair introduction.)  But this weekend, I finally made it (but only just!) with over 20 friends from the Korea Britain Society in Seoul.  These islands are a fair way off the south coast of the Korean mainland and at the best of times involve a ferry ride of around 3 hours.  We were extremely lucky that the Korean Navy was happy to help with arrangements and took us there on Saturday afternoon, in a journey lasting 2 ½ hours.  That journey itself was hardly calm, but the forecast for awful for the Sunday, so we had to cut short our stay and come back the same evening.  This time the journey took 4 ½ hours and for many of the travelers a fish dinner we’d had on Geomundo proved to be a very short-term investment.

The reason for me to go was to pay respect at the graves of ten UK sailors and marines buried there.  Most of them had died in accidents during the British occupation of the islands from 1885-87.  Some years back the graves had been in a sad state of repair and it was a continuing concern of the Embassy how to ensure their proper upkeep.  But in fact the islanders are proud of their connection with the UK and the Korean Navy is likewise respectful of fallen comrades. So between them and occasional visits by passing Royal Navy ships (the latest only in August) the graves are now superbly maintained.  Indeed, a more tranquil and fitting resting place for them could scarcely be imagined, overlooking glorious clear seas and enchanting islands while herons circle overhead.

I hope you’ll look at some of the photos we took while there.  Aside from Geomundo, they also show a wonderful old house in Yeosu which we visited on the Sunday morning.  These old gentlemanly houses are few and far between now in Korea, but the owner of this one fiercely protects it for the sake of the eleven generations of his family who lived there before him, and for the sake of future generations.

Posted at 11:03 28 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[1]

A ridiculously busy week

Sometimes in spite of whatever planning you might attempt, visitors do have a habit of coming all at once.  So it was this week.  I realized at the end of it, that in the space of seven days, I didn’t have a single normal breakfast to myself, I managed one lunch at home and ate every dinner out or with guests at home.  But it was all worth while.

The visitors were first the British Ambassador from Pyongyang, Peter Hughes.  He’s been there for over a year now and this was his first opportunity to get to Seoul to exchange views and information about the DPRK, in a way that is hardly possible in Pyongyang.  So he saw a good mix of governmental, military, academic and diplomatic contacts in a crowded three-day programme.

Overlapping with him was Mr Quentin Davies, who is the Minister for Defence Equipment and Supply at the UK Ministry of Defence.  The main reason for his visit was the Seoul Air Show, and he also saw his opposite numbers and gave a speech about the procurement of defence equipment.

In fact, all three of the visitors were here on the Wednesday of the week, so I was a bit torn three ways.  The final visitor was Professor Alison Richard, the vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University.  Of course the Embassy wasn’t responsible for organizing her programme in the way we did for the other two, but I hosted a reception at my house for Cambridge alumni and attended two other events with the vice-Chancellor.

There can be times that diplomacy can appear to be a high-class travel agency, catering and hotel business.  Those aspects actually are important to be sure visitors get the most out of their time overseas, but it’s always important to keep in mind just why and how visits like this contribute to the Embassy’s objectives.  This week
• we’ve learned more than we did before about how the Republic of Korea currently assesses the stance of the DPRK and what the next moves might be in relations between North and South Korea;
• we’ve explored the possibilities of further partnerships between the UK and Korea in the defence sector, including some projects with European and US partners;
• we’ve encouraged Cambridge alumni to remember their alma mater in the year of its 800th birthday, reminded many influential Koreans of the excellence of UK science and academic endeavour and persuaded young Koreans to consider studying at Cambridge – including through the joint scholarship scheme announced last week with the FCO’s Chevening programme.

from gettyimages

Posted at 16:38 26 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[1]

Meet The President

An unusual couple of days, seeing President Lee Myung-bak on both of them. First it was the annual Garden Party held in the grounds of the Blue House for the diplomatic corps. Sadly there are simply too many people there for us all to be able to have much of a talk with the President, but all his advisers are there and a lot of senior Koreans, so a great opportunity to network. I find that the President’s advisers see it much the same way, and hunt me out, just as much as I search for them in the crowds.

The following day, I again met the President when we were in attendance for the opening of the new Incheon Bridge, a prominent sight when you land at or take off from Incheon airport. The bridge is the longest in Korea, and in the top ten in world, and the reason for my involvement is that AMEC, the UK engineering and project management company, was the lead contractor and is justly proud of its achievement in delivering a landmark construction on time and on budget. They headed up what was the first public/private partnership in Korea to be led by a foreign company. Samir Brikho, the company’s CEO, was there as well and has a clear concept of the potential importance of Korea for AMEC, especially in terms of partnerships in the energy field. I was able to read out a message from Gordon Brown congratulating all concerned with the bridge. So much of our work to help British business is quietly done behind the scenes, and it’s nice to be able to show good public support in this way.

Posted at 22:35 20 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[0]

British Embassy Offers Chevening Scholarships

This time of year is when the Embassy starts to seek applications for Chevening scholarships. These scholarships offer talented graduates and young professionals from Korea the chance to study for postgraduate qualifications at the UK's leading universities. They cover the costs of one year's postgraduate study in the UK. Over 800 Koreans have benefited from the scheme over the past 25 years and many have risen to very senior positions on their return to Korea. Indeed, Prime Minister Chung Un-chan studied in the UK on a Chevening award.

For the first time this year, we are also seeking applications from Korean students who want to study at the University of Cambridge for a special Chevening Cambridge Scholarship jointly funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Cambridge Overseas Trust.

The deadline for applications for both schemes is December 7th 2009. Please visit this website to apply: www.britishcouncil.or.kr/chevening

Posted at 14:20 19 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[0]

Teaming Up With ‘Flower Boy’ On Climate Change

To mark Blog Action Day today, the British Embassy in Seoul is launching an online climate change campaign on Cyworld (Korean Facebook) with the support of the British Council, and Korean celebrity, Mr Kim Beom.  The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of low carbon living and calls for action from world leaders at Copenhagen this December.   As part of the campaign, Mr Kim will visit London in two weeks to film a documentary about what the UK is doing to encourage low carbon lifestyles.  I hope that Koreans will learn lessons about what works (and what doesn’t work) after watching the final product.

Kim Beom, also known throughout Asia as ‘Flower Boy’, is passionate about climate change and committed to showing Koreans what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint.  And it’s important that Korea does act, given the size of its economy and its dependence on carbon fuels.  According to a recent report from the International Energy Agency, Korea is the world’s ninth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and saw the fastest rise in CO2 emissions per capita of all the OECD countries from 1990 to 2007. 

I hope that our Cyworld campaign and this blog help to persuade Koreans of the urgency of acting to prevent dangerous climate change.   You can also visit our Korean Cyworld site and leave a message for Korean leaders.   And English-speakers can visit the Act on Copenhagen website to pledge support for an ambitious, effective and fair deal at Copenhagen.  Make your voice heard! 

Posted at 09:42 16 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[1]

Mandelson makes an impression

I have missed writing my blog, having been away on leave and on business and then just recently catching up with what I'd missed and then preparing for a visit by Lord Mandelson.  He was in Korea on 6-8 October in his capacity as the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.  I've been hoping to secure a visit from one of the Ministers in his department ever since I arrived, because the work that the UK Trade and Investment part of the Embassy does here is tremendously important and it can get a great boost from a well-timed and well-prepared visit.  Of course we did have a visit by the Duke of York in October last year, but politicians can do some things that members of the Royal Family can't do, and vice versa.

[Photos show, from clockwise top right: Lord Mandelson meets Korea's President Lee Myung-bak; breakfast meeting with Korean business leaders; meeting Korea's Minister of Knowledge Economy, Choi Kyung-hwan; and delivering a keynote speech to the British Chamber of Commerce Korea and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry]

For Lord Mandelson, the two major themes were the EU/Korea Free Trade Agreement and work on G20 issues.  When Lord Mandelson was the EU Trade Commissioner he kicked off the negotiations for the Agreement here in Seoul, and now it is due to be initialed on 15 October, signifying that the negotiations have reached the point where both sides are happy with the text.  But of course agreeing texts is one thing; making sure that they achieve the desired goal of encouraging and facilitating trade and investment between the EU and Korea is another.  For that we need to be sure that EU and Korean businesses can see the opportunities and act on them.  This is the message Lord Mandelson was sending, and is one we need to keep repeating to be sure UK business knows of the greater opportunities that will be available. We estimate that the FTA will generate up to 13 billion Euros(￡ 11.82 billion) for Korean companies, and generate exporting opportunities for EU goods and services of up to 19 billion Euros (￡17.27 billion).

The G20 continues to offer a great chance for the UK and Korea to work together to help forge what the G20 Leaders at the Pittsburgh Summit described as "the premier forum for our international economic cooperation". Now it is agreed that not only will Korea take over from us as G20 Chair, but it will also host a Summit here in November 2010. Korea will have a major role in the early days of this new forum, and if the UK can help in any way, I'm sure we will.  Not only will we see ministerial interactions like Lord Mandelson's, but President Lee has also accepted Gordon Brown's offer to have one of his closest advisers, Baroness Shriti Vadera, to act as a adviser for Korea in helping the transition from one Presidency to the next.

Posted at 12:12 13 October 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[0]