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]
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There aren't that many UK theatre companies that come to Korea, so when they do, I'm only too happy to go along and support them. Although I'm not really the target audience - it's a children's show - it was still fun to see "Looking for Yoghurt" which was directed by Peter Wynne-Wilson from Birmingham and it's already played in the Birmingham Rep. What makes it all the better from my point of view is that it brings together Korean, Japanese and British characters, all of whom speak their own language yet still manage to communicate with each other. A great metaphor in so many ways. It's playing at the Daehangno Arts Theatre and goes to Kapyong and Yeoncheon before going on to Japan. http://www.hanyong.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk gives some of the background to this collaboration; http://cafe.daum.net/joyfultheatre gives details of the performances in Korea.
And it's great fun. Certainly the children in the audience very clearly - and vocally - enjoyed it.
Posted at 09:52 13 July 2009 by Martin Uden | Comments[0]
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This week, the Embassy has launched a quiz competition for Korean students who are looking to apply for a visa to study in the UK. You can visit it here.
A new visa application system for the UK was introduced on 31 March this year called the Points-Based System. Applications from overseas students must now meet a certain number of points to be successful, based on whether they have a complete visa letter from a certified educational institution in the UK and whether they have sufficient finances to complete the course.
The new system is intended to make the visa process simpler and quicker. But we have received reports from students that they are finding it difficult to get to grips with the new requirements. Our new competition website has lots of useful information on how to complete a successful visa application, so please do visit it if you’re looking to apply for a visa.
We are very keen to ensure that students from Korea are able to come to the UK to study. Our universities are world famous and part of their success is because of their international nature. I believe British students benefit hugely from mixing with students from other countries by sharing experiences and building good relationships with international partners in what is truly a global age. And of course, the UK benefits economically from hosting international students too.
Posted at 16:50 12 June 2009 by Martin Uden | Comments[1]
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This weekend saw a trip out of Seoul, down to Geoje island – just off the south coast of Korea, oddly enough almost exactly the same size as the Isle of Wight. Geoje, however, is home to a vibrant shipbuilding industry with two large shipyards – Samsung and DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering) – and some smaller ones. This in turn means a fair-sized population of engineers and surveyors overseeing some of the work. Lloyd’s Register gets a good part of this work, and in keeping with a long engineering and shipbuilding tradition a good number of the employees are Scots, which means a good reason to celebrate there the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. My wife and I had duly celebrated the anniversary the previous week in Seoul, and this time we went down to Geoje by bus, a journey a bit over four hours. In fact there were more people celebrating Burns’ Night in Geoje than there had been in Seoul, but both were excellent parties.
One of the abiding fascinations of bus and train rides in Korea is the ever-present reminders of the enormous population density. The UK always seems pretty packed, and at 246 people per sq km, it’s second only to the Netherlands in European countries (excluding city states and islands) but South Korea, with a high proportion of its land too mountainous for habitation, has 498 per sq km. You’re hardly ever out of sight of human habitation. But aside from signs of the living, in Korea you’re also hardly ever out of sight of signs of the dead. Almost every hill (and there are really a lot of them in Korea) has one or more grave mounds, taking over the hills as soon as the gradient or the soil makes cultivation impossible. I have taken a photo shot of some of the burial mounds from one of the coach rest stops. You’ll see that the graves are not walled away and often forgotten as they are in the West, but rather are an ever-present reminder of ancestors and continuity.
Posted at 15:50 09 February 2009 by Martin Uden | Comments[0]
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Calling for Young Climate Change Ambassadors!
The British Embassy and British Council have launched a campaign to recruit Young Climate Change Ambassadors to work with us to encourage Koreans to take an active role to tackle climate change. The successful young ambassadors will be sent to Japan to take part in training on how to develop solutions to the problem of climate change. They will also work on British Embassy-funded projects to mobilise Korean students to 'go green' throughout 2009.
I'm delighted to say that Dr Yi So-yeon, the Korean government's own Green Ambassador, will be joining me on the judging panel of this competition. We also have the support of UNEP, Aveda Korea and Korea's Ministry of the Environment. We all share a commitment to preventing dangerous climate change, one of the most serious challenges faced by our planet this century, and I am very much looking forward to working with our Young Green Ambassadors in 2009.
2009 is a crucial year for us ahead of the UN Copenhagen Climate Conference in December. This is the year when we need to agree an ambitious, binding international deal on climate change so that we stand a chance of tackling the threat that it presents to our world. If we don't seize this opportunity to settle on an effective global response to the prospect of accelerating climate change, the problem may soon run out of control, with disastrous consequences.
Posted at 16:56 22 January 2009 by Martin Uden | Comments[1]
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